After her picture-perfect family vacation in Aspen, Colorado, Jennifer Lopez returned home ready to resume her public commitments. One of her first stops was Palm Springs, California, during the Palm Springs International Film Festival, where she received well-deserved recognition. The actress and singer reunited with a very special man from the start of her career, to whom she later dedicated a heartfelt message full of love and admiration.
© GettyOn January 4, JLo, whose divorce was recently finalized, attended the Variety Creative Impact Awards at the Parker Palm Springs Hotel, where she was recognized with the 'Legend and Groundbreakers' award. In a full circle moment, she received the award from Ralph Fiennes, her former co-star in Maid in Manhattan.
In a touching, nostalgic moment, Fiennes made a nod to the film they shared in 2002 while announcing the award. “Once upon a time, in another life and perhaps in a different era of film plots, there was a Republican candidate for the Senate wandering around a hotel in Manhattan, and there was also in this same other life a maid in this hotel,” the actor began, referencing the film's plot.
© Getty“This Republican senatorial hopeful was captivated by her good looks, but he couldn’t really see her. This maid was demurely and consciously hiding something. She was sweet and charming, but she was actually hiding something. She was hiding some sort of superpower. Behind this maid’s mask, there was indeed a force, a force of creativity, a force of action, something so powerful that it simply couldn’t be stopped. An unstoppable force was pouring out of this humble, inconspicuous maid at the hotel, and this maid, in fact, possessed extraordinary wings that unfolded, and she flew away,” Fiennes continued.
© Getty“But in this life, in this story, she’s already been soaring with determination from a young age, because I think she knows she has something inside of her that she needs to honor as she soars high. She’s honoring and fulfilling her extraordinary creative spirit and sharing it, lighting up so many people’s lives, inspiring them, and brightening their days,” the Conclave actor added.
“Her powerful energy just leaves men kind of behind, and she just takes off. She just takes off,” Fiennes said before inviting JLo on stage, referring to her as an “unstoppable goddess.”
Jennifer's Words
Lopez shared the touching video on her Instagram account, where she can be seen going up on stage to accept her award before hugging Fiennes affectionately. Although she didn't include the moment of her acceptance speech, the actress did share a heartfelt message dedicated to the actor.
© Getty"I cannot thank you enough Ralph Fiennes for your beautiful words and for our little Maid in Manhattan reunion today. It was wonderful to see you," she wrote in the caption. "You brought tears to my eyes. (That’s why I was sniffling through my whole speech LOL)."
© Flickr"I love you. Thank you so much…working with you was one of the great highlights of my career so far," said the actress, who hinted at her willingness to make a sequel alongside Fiennes. "I say so far because I hope I get to do it again someday soon for Maid in Manhattan 2…You never know…" she added.
© Tom Kingston“We really need to stop meeting in hotels like this,” JLo said after receiving the award from Fiennes, echoing one of the lines from the famous romantic com
