Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's 'Jersey Girl' Co-Star Raquel Castro Had A Premonition 'Bennifer' Would Get Back Together
May 6 2021, Published 7:35 p.m. ET
Raquel Castro – who played the adorable Gertie Trinké, daughter of Ollie Trinké (Ben Affleck) and Gertrude Steiney (Jennifer Lopez) in the 2004 rom-com, Jersey Girl – saw her on-screen parents' seemingly rekindled flame coming.
Castro, now 26, told RadarOnline.com she "woke up to several messages" the day Page Six reported "Bennifer" had been spotted house-hopping, weeks after J.Lo's split from her then-fiancé, Alex Rodriguez.
"I was so happy to see that," Castro said of the viral photos, adding that, "no lie, a few days prior, I had a dream that they got back together."
"That sounds so fake and cliché, but it's true!" she insisted, explaining that she had recently read an article about Jersey Girl director Kevin Smith reportedly considering releasing a director's cut of the film.
She recalled thinking to herself, "'Damn, I wonder what it would be like for Jen and Ben to watch that almost 20 years later?'"
"There's so much more of their love and relationship that is displayed in the director's cut," she said. "So I feel like, subconsciously, I just had them on my mind."
When asked whether she thinks the exes' new flame is romantic or friendly, Raquel was cautious with her words.
"It's a beautiful thing to see two people who have a past together be able to reunite 20 years later and be a shoulder to lean on during hard times," she explained. "So if it's a friendship that they are reconciling, I think that's amazing. If it's something more, even better. I hope this time the tabloids and press can give them the space to figure it all out."
Lots has happened for Castro since her Jersey Girl days. Most recently, she won NBC's songwriting competition series, Songland, with her original track, Wrong Places, scoring Raquel her first major placement with one of her favorite artists, H.E.R. But that first movie, Castro says, "made such a big impact on my life, and [Jen and Ben] are a huge part of that."
Even as a little girl, Castro recalls vividly the love between the then-fiancés' being palpable.
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"I remember being with them on set and thinking that they would be such good parents. It felt warm. It felt genuine. It felt like I was the make-believe movie version of their child, something that they both truly saw themselves actually doing together," she told us. "There was a really special moment on set before we actually started filming: It was Ben's 30th birthday, and Jennifer, Kevin, the producers and I surprised him with a birthday cake. I remember sitting on Jennifer's lap. It felt like we were a little family. There was something special about that moment."
"And then, of course, their famous kiss that landed them the front page of The New York Times. They were hot and steamy. I truly do hope that they can find happiness together again," she added. "I always felt like the two of them never got a fair chance. There was so much going on in both of their lives at that time. Timing is everything. Maybe now is their time!"
Of course, many wouldn't even be talking about Bennifer (others of us have not stopped since 2002) if J.Lo and A-Rod had not parted ways earlier this year following months-long rumors of an alleged fling between the retired MLB player and a reality star.
Upon hearing the news, Raquel was "honestly so sad. They were one of the couples that I admired a lot, and even though Jennifer and I have been out of touch, I was so happy to see her happy. It seemed like she had finally met her match, though everything is clearly not always as it seems."
However, J.Lo is her girl, and Raquel will never not have her girl's back. "I definitely had that 'what the f--k' moment, as I'm sure everyone in the entire world did. Who cheats on Jennifer Lopez?!" she said, noting that it was also quite the wake-up call. "Like, that's scary. If someone could cheat on a woman like her, it's really hard not to think the rest of us are screwed. I pray that wasn't the case."
But it doesn't seem like Castro has much to worry about in that department, as she's currently dating a handsome, "low-key" music producer who's worked with artists like Justin Bieber, Demi Lovato and Marshmello.
Seems like a match made in music heaven, considering Raquel has been focused mostly on writing music for and with other artists and songwriters since her big Songland win.
"I have been manifesting an opportunity to write with Jennifer for her project," she told us, so here we are, helping put that out into universe.