Remini first met Lopez in 2004 because she and her husband, Angelo Pagán, were close with Marc Anthony, Lopez's boyfriend at the time. Remini remembers being wowed the first time she met J Lo.
"He was like, 'She's the love of my life, blah, blah, blah,'" Remini recalled in a 2018 Los Angeles Times interview. "As I was walking up to the table, I was like, 'Ugh, God, you're even prettier in real life.' She started laughing, and I was like, 'Ugh, and you have a sense of humor even?'"
The two became fast friends and have been frequently spotted in public together in the years since. Lopez stood by her friend and supported Remini's decision to leave the church of Scientology in 2013. Five years later the duo starred in their first movie together, the romantic comedy "Second Act."
Remini told the LA Times she said yes to her role before even reading the script because she trusted Lopez so much.