Tamal Kundu
‘Marry Me’ is a romantic comedy film starring two of the biggest stars in the genre — Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. Katalina “Kat” Valdez (Lopez) is a global pop star who discovers that her fiancé, fellow Hispanic popstar Bastian (Maluma), is having an affair with her assistant on the day of the wedding. They were supposed to get married during a concert in front of 20 million fans. Facing yet another heartbreak, Kat randomly chooses math teacher Charlie Gilbert (Wilson) and tells him that she will marry him. As the world watches with bated breath, Charlie accepts.
‘Marry Me’s Kat has quite a few similarities with the actor portraying her in a perfect example of art imitating life. If that has made you wonder whether Charlie Gilbert is based on a real person, this is what you need to know. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Is Charlie Gilbert a Real Person?
No, Charlie Gilbert is not a real person. ‘Marry Me’ is based on Bobby Crosby’s namesake graphic novel. Director Kat Coiro stated during a 2022 interview that Lopez optioned the graphic novel years ago, but it took a while for her and her team to get it to the screen. At some point, Coiro joined the project. It was always given that Lopez would portray the female lead. However, they struggled with the question of who to cast opposite her. Screenwriter Harper Dill was subsequently brought in, and he turned the script into a proper two-hander with fully developed two main characters. According to Coiro, Wilson was the natural choice after that.
Charlie initially exists in a completely different world from Kat, and that dichotomy adds to the chemistry between the two characters. He is so accessible that you can’t help but root for him to end up with the woman he loves. He exudes a sense of quiet dignity in everything he does. He is proud of the life he leads. And it is one of the qualities that makes Kat fall in love with him. Coiro revealed that the original character didn’t have all these layers of complexity.
Is Marry Me a Real Song?
Yes, “Marry Me” is a real song. Performed by Lopez and Colombian singer Maluma, it’s part of the film’s soundtrack, along with songs like “Church,” “On My Way,” “Pa’ Ti + Lonely,” and “Love of My Life.” Lopez realized that with the involvement of herself and Maluma, the film had to have a soundtrack.
“We had the script, and then we picked places where we would like to put the music,” she stated in an interview. “You can’t have a movie about two pop stars who are performing and not have a soundtrack. But the album was really difficult because I wasn’t making a J.Lo album. I was writing songs for the story. So while I was on tour, I had submissions from every producer and every writer, and we listened to a hundred songs to get seven or eight.” The title track was released on February 2, 2022, followed by the release of the whole album two days later.
Read More: Is Marry Me Based on Jennifer Lopez’s Real Life? Is It Based on a True Story?
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