Universal
"Marry Me" director Kat Coiro said she knew she'd be able to collaborate with Jennifer Lopez after one of their first meetings about making the movie.
The director of the romantic comedy — that stars Lopez as a huge pop star and Owen Wilson as a high school math teacher who fall for one another — said she was with Lopez before production on the movie began and the star was singing a song to her when inspiration struck.
"There was a song called 'Unlove You' that was scripted to be in the movie," Coiro recalled to Insider over a Zoom chat. "It didn't end up in the final film, but at the time that had been the song that now is 'On My Way,'" she said, referring to one of the hit songs Lopez sings in the movie.
Universal
"She had an old recording of it and she was playing it on a Bluetooth and she was singing along and the Bluetooth dropped out and Jennifer kept singing," Coiro continued, noting that all the music was gone and now it was just Lopez singing. "I remember leaning forward and had these full-body chills. I was like, 'She's not just a star, she is a real artist.'"
"Having everything else stripped away and just hearing her sing a cappella was just the most exciting thing," she added.
Coiro said that moment sparked a scene in the movie that showcases Lopez's character Kat Valdez as an artist in the process of creating a hit song.
"In the movie when she starts singing 'On My Way' and playing it on the piano and finding the notes, that was directly stolen from that little moment seeing Jennifer Lopez the artist," Coiro said. "It reminded me of the reason she is where she is right now is something much deeper than we think."
"Marry Me" is currently playing in theaters and available on Peacock.
