Maid In Manhattan
Marisa Ventura (Jennifer Lopez) is a single mother who works as a maid in a first-class Manhattan hotel. By a twist of fate and mistaken identity, Marisa meets Assemblyman Christopher Marshall (Ralph Fiennes), who believes that she is a guest at the hotel. Fate steps in and throws the unlikely pair together for one night. When Marisa 's true identity is revealed, the two find that they are worlds apart...or are they?
The Film and TV Unit of the American Humane Association (AHA) monitored the action sequences involving animals. The AHA has sole authority, through a contract between Producers and the Screen Actors Guild, to protect animals used in film and television. Safety Representatives reviewed the script and action scenes before and during filming to ensure that animals were not harmed or mistreated and that AHA Guidelines for the Safe Use of Animals in Filmed Media were upheld. They also monitor conditions in which animals were housed during
- Starring: Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes
- Director(s): Wayne Wang
- Producer(s): Elaine Thomas
- Screenwriter(s): John Hughes, Kevin Wade
- Distributor: Sony Pictures
- Animal Coordinator: Pet Net
- Release Date: Friday, December 13, 2002
Featured Animal Action
A Beau and His Dog…
The part of Rufus was played by a male Weimaraner of the same name. Ralph Fiennes who plays the part of Chris Marshall was introduced to the dog before filming and they became good friends. The actor always kept some treats in one pocket and one of the dog's favorite toys in another. Right before the director yelled "action," a trainer would hand the actor the dog toy so that Rufus would see the toy and appear more excited. To get the dog to stay close to the actor without a leash, the trainer would rub cooked liver on the actor's hand so the dog would get the scent and hope for the liver to appear. Cooked liver is one of Rufus' favorite treats!
A Dog Friendly Hotel…
Rufus plays Frisbee with Chris and another actor in the hotel suite. A trainer put the dog on its mark and stood off camera. Although the trainer was there to offer the dog direction, the dog just played with the two actors and the Frisbee as though he were in the park, oblivious of the cameras and crew.
Chris puts a leash on a sitting Rufus in the hotel suite and then they exit the room and enter an elevator. The young actor, Ty, also enters and begins to pet the dog. As they exit the elevator and the building, the actor leads the dog by the leash. After they exit the building, Chris hands Jerry the dog's leash and appears to be pulled away by the unseen dog. Jerry holds the leash and tries to get the dog to go to the bathroom. A trainer handed the actor the dog's leash and it's favorite toy and stood off camera. The dog happily went with the actors and enjoyed the attention as well as the exercise.
A Dog and His Liver…
Chris sits on sofa and calls to Rufus who comes to him from behind the sofa. He extends his hand to the dog who smells the liver on his hand and happily comes to the actor. The dog is given a liver treat afterwards.
To get Rufus to sniff at Caroline's crotch as she sits on the sofa waiting for Chris, the trainer put some cooked liver into a small pouch that the actress placed on her lap for a few moments to let the scent sink in! The trainer then released the dog and Rufus ran right up to the actress and began to sniff. The trainer retrieved the dog afterwards and rewarded it with the liver that was in the pouch.
During lunch with Caroline in his suite, Chris calls Rufus over to the table and tells him to sit. When the dog obeys, the actor feeds him something off his plate. A trainer released the dog from off camera and the actor called to Rufus who came immediately over to the table by the actors and the food. When the actor asks the dog to sit, the dog does and then is rewarded with – no not liver - a piece of filet mignon!
A Fine Whine…
Marisa tip-toes past Rufus who is asleep in his bed. As she passes, the dog wakes up and looks at her and whines. A trainer placed the dog on his bed and used a verbal command to get the dog to lie down and appear to be asleep. When the actress passes, the trainer uses more verbal cues to get the dog to sit up. The trainer then holds up a toy and gets Rufus to look in various directions. The whining was a sound effect added in post production.
Marisa and Chris kiss and the camera cuts to Rufus in his bed howling. The trainer put the dog on its mark and used a hand signal from off screen to get the dog to howl on cue.
A Day in Central Park …
Chris runs with Rufus on the leash in Central Park to catch up with Ty and Marisa. Ty takes the dog's leash and is pulled by Rufus. A dog walker with two dogs on leashes stops and Rufus and her two dogs sniff each other. The dog walker takes Rufus' leash and she and Ty are seen with the dogs in the background as Chris and Marisa sit on a nearby bench talking. The trainer handed the actor the leash as another trainer ran in front of the dog out of camera range encouraging Rufus to chase him. There are other dogs on leashes that appear in this scene and each of the dogs is walked by its owner. All of the dogs in this scene were introduced to each other, the actors, and the area before filming began so everyone would be comfortable.
Marisa, Chris and Ty go the zoo located in Central Park and look at the penguin display. As the actors talk in front of the display, the audience gets to see the fifty-two penguins that live in this habitat acting naturally for the camera. A zoo employee walks through the display herding some of the penguins in the background.
Riding in Cars with Dog…
Rufus is in the front seat of a parked car as Chris gets in the back seat. The dog just looks out the window. A trainer put the dog on its mark and stood off camera holding up a toy to get the dog's attention.