Jennifer Lopez received a phone call from Jane Fonda a few months after her wedding to Ben Affleck in 2022. The two had been pals since 2005’s “Monster-in-Law,” and Fonda had introduced J. Lo to her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Fonda was reaching out because Lopez had requested her to appear in an unspecified film (with music) that would look at Lopez’s love failures in an ironic way. Lopez wants Fonda to be a part of her Zodiac love council. (More about that later.)

Fonda had doubts. So, before making a decision, she spoke with Lopez’s longtime manager, Benny Medina, and expressed concern about any project that appeared to overly celebrate the Affleck-Lopez reunion. Medina conveyed Lopez Fonda’s thoughts: “I believe that everyone in the world is rooting for this romance and love. And the way you deliver it is extremely crucial. It should be handled so that you aren’t unduly displaying it, which could lead to criticism or resentment.

Lopez and Fonda then spoke directly, as documented in Lopez’s new documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” which is part of a self-funded $20 million three-part multimedia production about Lopez’s life as a serial romantic. “I want you to know that I don’t entirely understand why, but I feel invested in you and Ben, and I really want this to work,” Fonda says in the documentary, speaking for the majority of the world. “But this is my concern. It feels too much like you’re attempting to prove something rather than simply live it. You know, every other shot shows the two of you kissing and hugging.