“I think [the media scrutiny can hurt] if it’s not a real thing,” Lopez told MTV News days before the video premiered on Nov. 5, 2002. “I’ve been in relationships where they were kind of unstable, and so the media messed with it a lot. When it’s not important to the relationship in any way—because what’s important is just the two of you—then it can’t mess with it. Nothing can. So in that sense, no, it doesn’t have an effect if it’s something that’s really real for both of you. In my experience, anyway.”
So she and Affleck proceeded to do their best to act like a regular couple, even if that was largely impossible.
“We try [to keep things private], we try. Some times it’s easier than others; it just depends if we can slip in and then slip out,” Lopez said. We go out to dinner, we go out with friends, we try to live as normal an existence as we can and still enjoy all of the other parts of being in the public eye as well.”
“We try to make the best of it,” she continued. “I’m not saying there’s not times that we wish [we] could just be going to the movies and come out and there’s not a crowd there waiting. You just want to spend your Sunday afternoon not working, but at the same time we both love what we do. If that’s something that’s part of it, then that’s fine. We feel the love and we’re very happy about it.”
BTW, Lopez was also sporting a ring, but would only say that she and Affleck—who were also filming Kevin Smith‘s Jersey Girl around this time—had talked about marriage.