"Marisa’s journey in this film is finding a balance in her life, between doing what’s good for her and her son, and realizing that it’s okay to want more and to go after it."

That’s how Jennifer Lopez sums up her role as the hotel worker who risks it all for a chance at romance in Maid in Manhattan. "Marisa’s a strong woman who has made her own way in the world, while still managing to hang on to her family and friends," observes Lopez. "Then she finds the kind of love that doesn’t come around every day and it throws her into a tailspin. It’s very funny and real at the same time."

The project began as a script by Edmond Dantes that was submitted to Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, then a top agent at International Creative Management's New York office, by Joe Roth, for Julia Roberts' consideration. "At the time, it was about a maid and a British prince who fall in love," Thomas recalls. "It was much more of a fairy tale with broad characters, and a strong resemblance to Cinderella."

Roberts' passed, but Thomas couldn't stop thinking about the kind of script she thought it could be. "It had elements of such classic romantic comedies as Roman Holiday, Working Girl and Pretty Woman," she says. "But it needed to be based more in reality." Once she became a partner in Roth's Revolution Studios and head of the company's east coast operations, he asked her if she'd like to develop the script further. She readily accepted, and began working on an outline for the new direction the project would need to take.

Thomas discussed the project with her producing partner Deborah Schindler (How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Waiting to Exhale). "This was a timeless story with contemporary appeal," says Schindler.

For the central role of Marisa Ventura, Thomas spoke to her friend Jennifer Lopez. They discussed the uniqueness of New York, what it was like growing up on the outside of "Oz," with your nose pressed to the glass and wanting in. "Being from the San Fernando Valley, my aspirations were limited to living closer to Ventura Blvd," says Thomas. "My vision, I'm afraid, wasn't quite so broad. But Hollywood was just over the hill, and like Jennifer, I wanted to get there too. Maybe we recognized the drive we both had to find a way in. Then, in the mid-90's, I moved to New York City. And it was instant culture shock. The lifestyle was fast. The people were smart, tough. But I liked them, especially the bridge-and-tunnel crowd. I understood them. They were on the outside, blue collar people who prefer ‘Fridays’ to ‘21.’ People who couldn't afford to live in the city they served."

"Jennifer stayed at my house one weekend, and we talked about the story into the night," Thomas continues. "She knew this character in a way I never could. She talked about the kind of person Marisa Ventura would be, the kind of life she would lead, the kind of pride she would have. Through Jennifer, we were able to discover the nuances that would make this character real."

With Lopez aboard, Thomas and Schindler recruited director Wayne Wang (The Joy Luck Club, Smoke) because "not only has he shown great wit in movies like Smoke and Chan is Missing," says Schindler, "and even the more dramatic Joy Luck Club, but he has demonstrated a very sure command of character-driven pieces. That seemed to be the ideal combination for this story."

"We loved that his films were antithetical to the genre," adds Thomas. "We needed an edge of reality, and, as long as we promised to keep the story grounded, Wayne agreed to direct."

Wang was drawn to the project because "it wasn’t just filled with easy gags and an implausible romance," he says. "The humor resonates and the love story builds in a completely believable way."

Another element that appealed to the director was the "upstairs-downstairs" aspect of the story and the commingling of two different worlds, the well-heeled patrons at a Manhattan luxury hotel and the people who work there, behind the scenes. "It’s more than just a romance about two people from different worlds. That they instinctively fall for one another is the easy part," says Wang. "But developing understanding and respect for one another. That’s what makes it work."

Next stop was the man who wrote Working Girl, Kevin Wade. "Kevin was a wonderful collaborator," says Thomas. "He heard our ideas and scripted a beautiful story."

Says Wade: "I consciously stuck to the bones of the original idea, which was about a hard-working woman who gets a chance to go to the dance," says Wade. "The twist for me is that she’s not at all eager to pursue her prince, because she’s afraid of jeopardizing the security she has worked so hard to achieve for herself and for her son. That created the opportunity for a great deal of tension, both comedic and dramatic."

Like Lopez, the character of Marisa Ventura is a Bronx-born Puerto Rican woman from a working class background. "I knew this girl better than any character I had ever come across," says Lopez. "I understood the feeling of being on the outside looking in and not allowing herself to dream of a better life for herself."

Though the film tells its story through humor, Lopez admired its underpinning of reality. "Marisa is a woman who has put her personal life on the back burner, which a lot of mothers do, especially single mothers," she says. "The story is about how she finds balance in her life, how she learns to take care of her own needs and, at the same time, continues to meet the needs of her son."

For the role of Christopher Marshall, the wealthy son of a prominent politician, Thomas, Schindler, Wang and Lopez were looking for someone with "that 'Cary Grant' quality. I think it was Jennifer who suggested Ralph first," says Thomas. "While none of us had seen him do comedy, we certainly knew he could pull off the romance. He's an amazing actor. So we chased him, begged him, and smiled a lot until he couldn't refuse."

The Oscar®-nominated actor had made audiences, and his leading lady Kristin Scott-Thomas, swoon in The English Patient. "Ralph was affable, sweet, and open to exploring his gentler side," says Thomas.

What brought Fiennes to Maid in Manhattan was its "charm," he says. "It deals with people’s aspirations and fantasies. The real comedy grows out of people who find themselves in realistic situations."

Also, having Lopez at the center of the film, says Fiennes, "made it very attractive for me personally, as well as for the character of Christopher. She has great magnetism and an iconic quality."

Wang saw Fiennes' well-bred manner as the perfect complement to Lopez's streetwise, candid pragmatism. "And because of Ralph's insistence on his character being real, he wanted to work in a way so that the comedy was believable," Wang says. "I tried to give him the context he needed to work organically, so that the comedy came out of that character's particular situation. With Jennifer it was more a matter of letting her go, letting her explore. She'd do something different on every take and it'd be funny in a different way."

Producer Paul Schiff found the contrast between Fiennes’ and Lopez’s styles also suited the characters they were portraying. "Having two actors who come at performing in distinctly different ways and having them play characters from opposite ends of the social spectrum, seemed an ideal way to convey their unique attraction to one another," says Schiff.

Beneath the surface, however, Fiennes’ and Lopez’s characters also have something in common. "Both of them are uncomfortable because of the changes taking place in their lives," observes Schindler. "Christopher’s character is having trouble adjusting to the demands of being a Senatorial candidate and following in his famous father’s footsteps. Marisa is up for a management position and because her mother has always discouraged her, it plays into her insecurities -- though both characters are clearly up to the task."

At a crossroads in their lives, both professionally and personally, the attraction between the politician and the maid takes on an air of kismet, according to Fiennes. "He learns from Marisa how to be true to himself," says Fiennes. "She gives him a sense of direction. He in turn, gives her confidence, allowing her to believe in herself. So, in a way, they have met at just the right moment."

Fiennes researched his role by spending time with a New York politician. In addition he read about the life of John F. Kennedy, Jr. and watched tapes of Andrew Cuomo, two men with political aspirations who, like the character of Christopher Marshall, have been compared to their famous fathers.

For her part, Lopez spent time with single mothers, interviewed real-life housekeepers and drew from her experiences growing up in the Bronx. "Jennifer is a girl who slept in the same bed with two of her sisters until she was fifteen-years old," mentions Thomas, "you can’t get much closer than that to the character of Marisa."

More than a thousand young actors in New York, Los Angeles and Miami, were auditioned for the pivotal role of Ty, Marisa's 10-year-old son. From the moment he read opposite Lopez, it was clear that Tyler Garcia Posey (who currently appears on PAX-TV's "Doc") was the ideal choice. "Our brilliant casting director, Todd Thaler, found Ty and worked with him," Thomas relates. "If Jennifer and Ralph are the love in the movie, then Ty is the heart."

Like Posey, Marissa Matrone also makes her big-screen debut in Maid in Manhattan and was also brought to the project by casting agent Todd Thaler. "Todd put her on tape and, when we saw it, we couldn’t stop laughing," says Lopez. The role of Stephanie, Marisa’s best friend and co-worker was a natural fit for Matrone. "When I started reading the script I immediately thought of all my cousins from Brooklyn," Matrone recalls, "with hearts of gold and truck-driver mouths. Let me tell you, in Brooklyn, they all speak their minds."

The role of Caroline, the spoiled socialite for whom Lopez is mistaken, is portrayed by acclaimed actress Natasha Richardson, who jumped at the chance to play a bubble-headed, vain, frivolous character. "I’m so used to playing people who splash around in the dark places of the soul, that it was a joy to jump into something so frothy and light," says Richardson. "Caroline is so entitled that she’s not even aware of how abysmally she treats other people," she continues. "That could have come across as arch, but thanks to Kevin’s astute writing, you actually feel for her desperation as she chases, in vain, after Christopher."

On the set, Wayne encouraged improvisation between Fiennes and Stanley Tucci, who plays campaign manager, Jerry Siegel. Much of their screen time together is spent sparring, a battle of wits for control over Christopher’s political future. Both men are seasoned stage performers who are keenly aware that "acting is listening, responding, having a sense of playfulness, especially in this kind of light-hearted material," says Fiennes. "And Stanley and I just kicked it about, throwing things at each other and improvising."

Joining his fellow Brits Fiennes and Richardson, was Bob Hoskins, who is no stranger to comedy, having impressed audiences with his memorable turns in films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Hook and Sweet Liberty. In Maid in Manhattan he portrays Lionel, the Beresford Hotel’s fastidious English butler, who is quietly protective of Marisa, especially after he learns about her secret romance. "English butlers are the best in the world," says Hoskins, making no apologies for his delightful chauvinism. To ensure that he was letter perfect, Hoskins carefully studied the Butler’s Manual. The research paid off, according to Schindler. "Bob brought such wit and humanity to the part, that we just kept adding scenes for him. We just couldn’t get enough of Lionel."

When you add such notable performers as Frances Conroy ("Six Feet Under"), Amy Sedaris ("Sex and the City," "Strangers with Candy"), Chris Eigeman (Metropolitan, Barcelona) and Priscilla Lopez ("A Chorus Line"), "you have the kind of acting ensemble you can only find in a city like New York," says Schiff.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

"The logistics of shooting in Manhattan can be complicated," says producer Paul Schiff, "but the energy of the city, its pulse and the faces of the extras, more than justify that."

Before filming on Maid in Manhattan began, the crew scouted dozens of luxury hotels in Manhattan to find the stately quality required for the Beresford Hotel. The hotel scenes could have been shot on a sound stage, but Wayne insisted on an actual location, "so that when you shot the underbelly of the place it had an unmistakable reality about it."

Production designer Jane Musky led the filmmakers to the famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel on Park Avenue, where much of the film was shot. "The Waldorf is just what a big, fancy hotel should be," she says. "Their downstairs area was bigger and they employ more people than any other hotel in Manhattan." The Waldorf was also one of the few actual hotels in Manhattan that was large enough to accommodate a film crew without interfering with its day-to-day operation.

Oscar®-winning costume designer Albert Wolsky brought his usual exacting standards to the creation of the hotel workers’ uniforms, particularly those of the maids. After examining the attire worn by workers at such hotels as the St. Regis, The Waldorf and The Plaza, he came up with the primary housekeepers’ uniform, a simple, fitted outfit. But don’t let its simplicity fool you, he says. "I think the uniform is the most important costume in the movie. And it’s where Jennifer does her best work. She looks wonderful in it."

The preparation scene for the ball, in which Marisa’s co-workers transform her from a maid into a princess, was also meticulously planned. All the scenes in which Marisa is out of uniform, and especially the party scene where she wears a peach-chiffon gown designed by Bob Mackie, and adorned with a Harry Winston necklace, are meant to reflect how differently she is perceived by the outside world, according to Wolsky. "Christopher has seen her before, but only in uniform, and he didn’t even notice her. When he walks into the hotel suite and she’s wearing Dolce and Gabanna, it’s the same woman, but she’s no longer invisible."

Interestingly, while shooting at the Waldorf Astoria hotel, Lopez often attracted large crowds of fans and onlookers, but she was barely noticed on the days when she was working in her housekeeping costume.

Acclaimed cinematographer Karl Walter Lindenlaub and director Wayne Wang, collaborated to heighten the visual contrast between the two separate worlds that exist within the Beresford Hotel. The submarine-like "downstairs" of the hotel is shot at the underbelly of the real Waldorf Astoria Hotel. It is gritty, has artificial lighting, cramped spaces and exposed pipes. The "upstairs" luxury suites were built on a set and decorated to make them look even more opulent and inviting. "We gave the upstairs this beautiful, warm light," says Wang. "It was quiet and spacious, in sharp contrast to the downstairs areas, where it’s always noisy, all the ceilings are low and the spaces are constricting."

For the house where Lopez’s character lives, Wang was looking for an area in the Bronx that looked poor but still had integrity and a little bit of taste, reflecting Marisa Ventura’s personality. Musky, who has previously worked in the Bronx, most recently on Finding Forrester, found a row of two-family houses in the Morris Heights section that were perfect. "I know all these people in the Bronx," she says, "and they’re very proud of what they have no matter how modest. I felt we should pay homage to that." This section of the Bronx is also dominated by the elevated subway, which Musky saw as Marisa’s ever-present connection between her home and downtown.

The exterior of Marisa’s home was shot on Clifford Place, a short street that ends at several flights of steep stairs leading up to the Grand Concourse. "We settled on that location because it served a dual purpose. It showed that Marisa and her son had to climb those stairs to work every morning, which conveys that everything in her life is a struggle," says Musky. "At the same time she lives in this nice little two-family house that is an oasis for Marisa and a proper environment for her son."

The interiors were filmed in a slightly larger house around the corner on Townsend Avenue, which the filmmakers altered, giving Ty the bedroom while Marisa slept in the living room, which, according to Musky, was in line with her research that found this a common practice among single mothers.

The production moved to Brooklyn’s Borough Hall, which provided the interiors for Christopher Marshall’s office in Albany. Other New York landmarks used in the production include The New York Public Library on Fifth Avenue and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where the gala ball, a magical evening of romance between Marisa and Christopher, was filmed.

The neutral ground in which the "upstairs" and "downstairs" characters come together and romance blooms, were shot in New York public spaces, where such class distinctions melt away. One prominent location was Central Park (and its zoo) using the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. "The skyline was important for Wayne," says Musky. "By framing them against such a vast backdrop, he brought an intimacy to the encounter."

When asked if there's a message to the film, Thomas pauses. "Not really. Maybe. I guess. Yeah. Now that you mention it...the message is: If you want something, if you really want it, you have to be willing to risk everything you have in order to get it. In our film, each main character risks it all, to get to the next level. But, I never really thought about it until you asked."

And finally for the dog owners out there who want to know how the beautiful gray Weimaraner, Rufus, was cast, Thomas confesses, "He slept with one of the producers."

And that's all she'll say about it.

ABOUT THE CAST

JENNIFER LOPEZ (Marisa Ventura) earned widespread acclaim for her work in the title role of Selena, and then was showered with extensive praise for her role opposite George Clooney in Steven Soderbergh’s Out of Sight.

Soon after, she starred in the psychological thriller The Cell, playing the role of a gifted psychotherapist who must journey inside the mind of a comatose serial killer in the hope of saving his latest victim. The film opened #1 at the box office in August 2000, grossing $17.5 million, and eventually reaching $60 million.

Last year Lopez made history by being the first woman to have the #1 movie and #1 album in the same week. The romantic comedy The Wedding Planner co-starring Matthew McConaughey and released by Columbia Pictures, was the nation’s top grossing movie. Her sophomore recording release "J.Lo" debuted at the top of the Billboard Top 200 Chart. Later that year Lopez starred in Angel Eyes co-starring Jim Caviezel, and directed by Luis Mandoki. She played a police officer working through a history of sexual abuse by befriending a man who is coming to grips with the death of his wife and son.

Earlier this year, Lopez was honored at ShoWest as the "ShoWest Female Star of the Year," as well as being named Entertainer of the Year by the National Council of La Raza, the largest Latino advocacy group in the nation, presented at the American Latino Media Arts Awards for TV and film.

Lopez made her feature film debut in the highly acclaimed feature My Family/Mi Familia, garnering an Independent Spirit Award nomination for her role as the young mother Maria Sanchez. Her other film credits include Oliver Stone's U-Turn, Money Train with Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes, Francis Ford Coppola’s Jack with Robin Williams, Blood and Wine opposite Jack Nicholson, Michael Apted’s thriller Enough, and Anaconda with Jon Voight, Eric Stoltz and Ice Cube. She can also be heard in the animated feature Antz, voicing the character "Azteca," alongside Woody Allen and Sylvester Stallone.

Most recently, she completed production on Revolution Studios’ Gigli co-starring Ben Affleck, and directed by Martin Brest, which will be released by Columbia Pictures in summer 2003. She will also co-star with Affleck in Kevin Smith’s new film Jersey Girl.

As a recording artist, Lopez's 1999 debut album, "On the 6," sold more than eight million copies worldwide and earned her two Grammy nominations. Her smash single, "If You Had My Love," spent five weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard charts, and the accompanying video earned four MTV Video Music Award nominations. In 2000 she won an MTV Award, and the best R&B Award at the MTV European Music Awards.

"J.Lo," her sophomore album, was executive produced by Lopez. "J.Lo" debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts, and has sold over eight million units worldwide. The first three singles "Love Don’t Cost A Thing," "Play," and "I’m Real" all went to #1. In 2001, she was nominated for an American Music Award as "Best Female Artist." Jennifer's third album "J To Tha L-O! THE REMIXES" is the first remix album to enter the Billboard Top 200 chart at #1 and has spawned two #1 hit singles. The track "Alive," written by Lopez, was featured in her film Enough.

Most recently, Lopez released her third album "This is Me...Then," which includes the hit single "Jenny From the Block."

In November of 2001, Jennifer expanded her talents to fashion design by launching the "J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez" women’s collection. This fall she also introduced her own fragrance. Future plans for her Sweetface Fashions, a joint venture with an investment group led by Andy Hilfiger and Larry Stemmerman, will include licensing agreements to expand the "J.Lo by Jennifer Lopez" brand into other fashion categories, including accessories, eyewear and swimwear.

RALPH FIENNES (Christopher Marshall) has emerged as one of the leading actors of his generation, with acclaimed screen performances in films such as the Oscar®-winning The English Patient and Schindler’s List, as well as Quiz Show, Sunshine, The End of the Affair, Oscar and Lucinda and Onegin. Fiennes has also garnered a great deal of critical acclaim for his performances in the theater, both here and in the U.K., for the title roles in such classics as "Hamlet," "Ivanov," "Richard II," and "Coriolanus." This past year he was also seen in two thrillers, Red Dragon and David Cronenberg’s Spider.

Born in Suffolk, Fiennes grew up in England and Ireland and graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in 1985. He began working professionally as an actor in England’s open-air theatre in Regents Park, the Theatre Clwyd and the Oldman Coliseum, and became part of Michael Rudman’s company at the National Theatre in 1987, only two years after leaving drama school. In 1988, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company where he remained for two seasons, giving notable performances in "Henry VI," "King Lear" and "Love’s Labour’s Lost."

In 1991 Fiennes landed a small, but compelling, role in the award-winning TV series "Prime Suspect." This led to his being cast by David Puttnam as T.E. Lawrence in a special television film about the legendary hero, "A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia." That same year he made his feature film debut in an adaptation of Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights opposite Juliette Binoche. Fiennes next starred in the BBC’s haunting telefilm, "The Cormorant."

It was Fiennes’ iconoclastic interpretation of Bronte’s Heathcliff that compelled Steven Spielberg to cast him as SS Commandant Amon Goeth, opposite Liam Neeson, in Schindler’s List, the Oscar® winner for Best Picture in 1993. His extraordinary performance in the film won critical praise worldwide. He received an Academy Award® nomination as best supporting actor as well as the BAFTA, New York Film Critics, National Society of Film Critics, Boston and Chicago Film Critics Awards, a Golden Globe nomination and the London Film Critics Award for Best British Actor of 1994.

He then landed the role of Charles van Doren in Robert Redford’s critically acclaimed film, Quiz Show. In 1995, Fiennes starred in Katherine Bigelow’s futuristic thriller, Strange Days, after which he returned to the stage for a much-lauded production of "Hamlet," directed by Jonathan Kent for London’s Almeida Theatre. A subsequent special Broadway engagement won him Broadway’s 1995 Tony Award as Best Actor.

In 1996 he starred as the mortally wounded pilot in Anthony Minghella’s brilliant and moving adaptation of Michael Ondaatje’s The English Patient. The film garnered acclaim around the world, won the Academy Award® for Best Picture and garnered Fiennes his second Oscar® nomination, this time as Best Actor.

Returning to the stage, at London’s Almeida Theatre, he portrayed the title role in Chekhov’s tragicomic early play "Ivanov." With a striking modern translation by David Hare, and rave reviews all around, the production and cast were granted the singular honor of an invitation to Moscow for a week’s special performance.

In 1997, Fiennes starred opposite Cate Blanchett in Oscar and Lucinda, an eccentric love story adapted from Peter Carey’s celebrated novel and directed by Australia’s Gillian Anderson. He then starred in and executive produced the feature film version of Pushkin’s classic verse novel, "Eugene Onegin." Directed by his sister Martha Fiennes, and co-starring Liv Tyler, this visually stunning production was shot on location in Russia. In 1999, Fiennes starred in Neil Jordan’s film adaptation of novelist Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair opposite Julianne Moore and Stephan Rea, as well as writer/director Istvan Szabo’s epic Sunshine, which spans three generations, from the fall of the Hapsburg Empire to the 1965 Hungarian Revolution. Fiennes portrayed the central character in each of the three linking stories.

In the summer of 2000, Fiennes played, in rotating repertory, the title roles of "Richard II" and "Coriolanus" for the Almeida Theatre Company in London. Both Shakespeare plays were directed by Jonathan Kent and garnered rave reviews for Fiennes. He took the plays to the Brooklyn Academy of Music that fall for a limited run.

Upcoming for Fiennes is Neil Jordan’s drama The Good Thief. He will also return to the stage in the London production of "The Talking Cure" directed by Howard Davies and written by Christopher Hampton.

NATASHA RICHARDSON’s (Caroline Lane) first feature film, playing Mary Shelley in Ken Russell’s Gothic, brought her to the attention of Paul Schrader, who then cast her in the highly acclaimed title role of Patty Hearst. Since then, she has achieved notable success in a number of feature films including A Month in the Country directed by Pat O’Connor, Roland Joffe’s Fat Man and Little Boy starring Paul Newman and John Cusack, The Favour, the Watch and the Very Big Fish with Bob Hoskins and Jeff Goldblum, and Volker Schlondorf’s The Handmaid’s Tale co-starring Robert Duvall, Aidan Quinn and Faye Dunaway. She worked for Schrader again in The Comfort of Strangers alongside Rupert

Everett, Helen Mirren and Christopher Walken, which brought her the London Evening Standard Award for Best Actress. She also starred in Widow’s Peak with Mia Farrow and Joan Plowright (Best Actress Award at the 1994 Karlovy Vary Festival), Nell co-starring Jodie Foster and Liam Neeson, and The Parent Trap, Blow Dry, Waking Up in Reno and Chelsea Walls, directed by Ethan Hawke.

Richardson trained in London at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Her classical experience began with the roles of Helena in "A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream," Ophelia in "Hamlet" at the Young Vic, and Nina in "The Seagull," opposite her mother, Vanessa Redgrave, and Jonathan Pryce, (London Drama Critics: Most promising newcomer). Her other highly acclaimed stage performances include Tracey Lord in Richard Eyre’s musical "High Society," and the title role in "Anna Christie," first in London (London Drama Critics’ Best Actress) and then on Broadway, co-starring her future husband Liam Neeson (Tony nomination Best Actress in a Play, Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut, Outer Critics Circle Outstanding debut of an Actress, and Drama Desk nomination for Best Actress). In 1998, she starred on Broadway as Sally Bowles in Sam Mendes’ production of "Cabaret" (Tony Award, Drama Desk, Drama League and Outer Critics Awards for Best Actress in a Musical). A year later she portrayed Anna in the Broadway production of Patrick Marber’s Tony nominated drama "Closer."

Richardson’s television credits include Ibsen’s "Ghosts" with Judi Dench, Michael Gambon and Kenneth Branagh, "Hostages," for HBO, the TV film of Tennessee Williams’ "Suddenly Last Summer" for the BBC, with Maggie Smith and Rob Lowe. She starred as Zelda Fitzgerald in the TNT movie, "Zelda" co-starring Timothy Hutton and directed by Pat O’Connor (Cable Ace nomination for Best Actress). She also starred as Ruth Gruber in the CBS miniseries "Haven," based on Ms. Gruber’s autobiography.

STANLEY TUCCI (Jerry Siegel) is currently dazzling Broadway audiences in a revival of "Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune" opposite Edie Falco. He recently co-starred in Sam Mendes’ The Road to Perdition with Tom Hanks and Paul Newman, the comedy Big Trouble and Edward Burns’ Sidewalks of New York. Last year he appeared in Revolution Studios’ America’s Sweethearts opposite Julia Roberts and John Cusack, released by Columbia Pictures.

Tucci earned both an Emmy and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Made-for-TV-Movie or Miniseries in the highly acclaimed HBO drama, Conspiracy, in which he appeared alongside Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth. He had previously won a Best Actor Emmy and Golden Globe for his portrayal of Walter Winchell in the HBO original film "Winchell."

Not only is Tucci an accomplished and gifted actor, he is a writer, director, and producer as well. His most recent directorial effort was Joe Gould’s Secret starring Ian Holm as bohemian writer Joe Gould, and Tucci as Joseph Mitchell, the famed writer for The New Yorker. Big Night, Tucci’s first effort as co-director, co-screenwriter and actor, earned him numerous accolades, including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, a Recognition of Excellence by the National Board of Review, an Independent Spirit Award, the Critics Prize at the 1996 Deauville Film Festival, as well as honors from the New York Film Critics and the Boston Society of Film Critics.

Tucci’s second project, The Imposters, which he wrote, directed, co-produced and in which he starred, was an Official Selection at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival. Previous film credits include Woody Allen’s Deconstructing Harry, William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer’s Night’s Dream, The Alarmist, A Life Less Ordinary, The Daytrippers, Kiss of Death, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, It Could Happen to You, The Pelican Brief, Prelude to a Kiss, Billy Bathgate, In the Soup, and Slaves of New York.

Tucci’s work on television includes a recurring guest starring role on TNT’s "Bull," as well as appearances on "Equal Justice," "Wiseguy," "The Equalizer," "Thirtysomething" and "The Street." Tucci also starred as Richard Cross in the Steven Bochco drama "Murder One," a performance that earned him an Emmy nomination.

On Broadway, Tucci has appeared in numerous plays, including "Execution of Hope," "The Iceman Cometh," "Brighton Beach Memoirs," and "The Misanthrope." He has also performed in a number of off-Broadway plays, at Yale Repertory Theater and at SUNY Purchase, where he first studied acting.

Tucci recently finished work on The Core opposite Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank and Delroy Lindo,

BOB HOSKINS (Lionel) is internationally recognized for his roles in a wide range of critically and commercially successful films. His role in Mona Lisa brought him an Academy Award® nomination and Golden Globe and BAFTA Awards for Best Actor. The role also earned Hoskins Best Acting awards from the Cannes Film Festival, the New York Film Critics Circle, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association, and the National Society of Film Critics.

Early in his career, Hoskins made two highly regarded films for director John Mackenzie, The Long Good Friday (1980) with Helen Mirren, which earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor, and Beyond the Limit (1983) with Michael Caine, which brought him another BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

His other films include Francis Ford Coppola’s The Cotton Club, Terry Gilliam’s Brazil, Alan Parker’s Pink Floyd The Wall, Sweet Liberty starring Alan Alda and Michael Caine, Robert Zemeckis’ Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination, Richard Benjamin’s Mermaids, Wolfgang Peterson’s Shattered, Steven Spielberg’s Hook, Nora Ephron’s Michael, and Atom Egoyan’s Felicia’s Journey. Hoskins also received a BAFTA nomination for his work in the groundbreaking television miniseries "Pennies From Heaven" in 1978.

Throughout his career, Hoskins has also played a wide variety of world figures. On television he starred as Benito Mussolini in "Mussolini: The Decline and Fall of IL Duce," Winston Churchill in "World War II: When Lions Roared" and Manuel Noriega in "Noriega: God’s Favorite." On film he appeared as J. Edgar Hoover in Oliver Stone’s Nixon and most recently as Nikita Khrushchev in Jean-Jacques Annaud’s Enemy at the Gates.

After working with British director Shane Meadows in A Room For Romeo Brass, Hoskins helped Meadows get his critically acclaimed Twentyfourseven off the ground. Hoskins subsequently won the Best Actor Award at the European Film Awards.

He was recently seen as Sancho Panza in the Hallmark TV production of "Don Quixote," and in Fred Schepisi’s Last Orders opposite Michael Caine, Tom Courtenay, Ray Winstone, and David Hemmings. Upcoming films include Guy Jenkins’ Sleeping Dictionary and Den of Lions.

Ten year-old TYLER GARCIA POSEY ("Ty") was born in Santa Monica, California, and has performed on stage and in film, television, commercials, and music videos since the age of five. Tyler currently plays Raul on the hit television show "Doc," which airs on PAX network, and stars Billy Ray Cyrus. Tyler appeared in the films Men of Honor with Robert DeNiro, and Collateral Damage starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Tyler lives with his parents, John and Cyndi, and two brothers Derek and Jessie. Tyler loves punk rock, singing, writing music and lyrics, skateboarding, roller blading, playing most sports and watching movies.

FRANCES CONROY (Paula Burns) plays Marisa’s boss at the Beresford Hotel. Ms. Conroy has originated roles in new plays by Arthur Miller ("The Last Yankee," "Ride Down Mount Morgan," "Broken Glass"), Edward Albee ("The Lady from Dubuque"), David Hare ("The Secret Rapture"), and Neil Simon ("The Dinner Party"), to name but a few of the playwrights with whom she has collaborated. She also appeared in Albee’s "Three Tall Women."

She attended the Julliard School's Drama Division and, afterwards, toured with The Acting Company, founded by John Houseman, before embarking on an extensive theatre career, on and off-Broadway, with companies such as Lincoln Center and Joseph Papp’s Public Theatre. She has had the honor of sharing the stage with Irene Worth and other greats of the American theater. Along the way she garnered a Tony nomination for her performance in "The Ride Down Mount Morgan" and Drama Desk nominations for "In The Summer House," "Othello" and "The Rehearsal." She received the Drama Desk Award for her performance in "The Secret Rapture" and an Obie Award for Miller's "The Last Yankee".

Ms. Conroy’s film credits include The Crucible, Scent of a Woman, Sleepless in Seattle, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Rocket Gibraltar (with Burt Lancaster in his last role), and the Woody Allen films Manhattan, Crimes & Misdemeanors and Another Woman.

Independent film work includes Terence Davies' Neon Bible, Tina Rathborne's The Joy That Kills, Gene Wilder's Murder In a Small Town, Perry Miller-Adato's Eugene O'Neill and Carl Sandburg, Charles Busch's Die Mommy, Die, Rebecca Miller's Angela, and Marya Cohen's Developing.

Most recently, she was nominated for an Emmy as "Best Actress" for her portrayal of Ruth Fisher in the award winning HBO series "Six Feet Under."

CHRIS EIGEMAN plays the self-important hotel manager (John Bextrum). Eigeman made an impressive debut in writer/director Whit Stillman’s satire Metropolitan and followed it with equally acclaimed performances in two other Stillman films, Barcelona and The Last Days of Disco.

Most recently Eigeman was seen in the HBO feature "Path to War," directed by John Frankenheimer. He also starred in the romantic comedy The Perfect You, with Jenny McCarthy, which premiered at the LA Film Festival last summer. He enjoyed rave reviews for the film The Next Big Thing, a send-up of the art world, directed by P.J. Posner, and recently completed principal photography on Clipping Adam, with Louise Fletcher.

Eigemen has also starred opposite Eric Stoltz and Parker Posey in Noah Baumbach’s critically acclaimed comedy Kicking and Screaming, as well as Baumbach’s Mr. Jealousy and Highball.

On the stage, Eigeman has starred in the Off-Broadway production of John Kolvenbach’s comedy "The Gravity of Means." Other theater credits include productions of "Henry IV" and Wendy McCleod’s "The House of Yes."

AMY SEDARIS (Rachel Hoffberg) plays Caroline’s friend and Marisa’s nemesis. Sedaris first felt the tug of the stage when she moved from her native North Carolina to join her brother David in Chicago, where she took classes at the famed "Second City," and was soon on their "Main Stage." She then moved to New York, where she teamed up with fellow "Second City" alums Stephanie Colbert and Paul Dinello, and others, to develop a half-hour sketch-comedy series called "Exit 57," for HBO Downtown Productions. The series, which ran for two seasons on Comedy Central, received five Cable ACE nominations for Best Writing, Best Performance and Best Comedy Series. Sedaris once again teamed up with Dinello and Colbert to create Comedy Central’s first live-action comedy series, "Strangers with Candy," a twisted take on the classic and typically moralistic after-school specials.

A favorite guest of Conan O’Brien, Sedaris starred in "When I Grow Up," a pilot from Glenn Gordon Caron, the creator of "Moonlighting," and was recently seen on NBC’s hit comedy "Just Shoot Me," as well as three episodes of HBO’s hit "Sex and the City."

In addition to many plays she and her brother have written and produced, including the 1996 Obie Award-winning "One-Woman Shoe," Sedaris has added Paul Rudnick’s "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told" and Douglas Carter Beane’s "Country Club" to her ever-expanding resume. Sedaris and her brother staged their 1997 critically acclaimed collaboration, "The Little Frieda Mysteries" in Seattle. In 2001 they staged "The Book of Liz," and this past fall Sedaris shared the stage with Sarah Jessica Parker in "The Wonders of the World," at the Manhattan Theater Club.

MARISSA MATRONE (Stephanie Kehoe) is making her feature film debut as Marisa’s fellow maid and biggest supporter. A graduate of New York University’s Graduate Acting Program, Matrone has been seen in featured roles on HBO’s "The Sopranos," ABC’s "Wonderland," NBC’s "Law & Order," "Third Watch" and "As the World Turns." She made her Broadway debut in the Roundabout Theater’s production of "Side Man," directed by Michael Mayer.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

WAYNE WANG (Director) has spent a career alternating between major Hollywood studio films such as The Joy Luck Club and smaller, independent works like Smoke. He most recently directed The Center of the World, with Molly Parker and Peter Sarsgaard, a digitally shot independent film.

Wang was born in Hong Kong after his family fled from China following the Communist takeover in 1947. He graduated from Wah Yan Jesuit High School and came to the United States at the age of 18 to study film at California College of the Arts and Crafts in Oakland.

Wang's first feature film was his graduate student project, A Man, A Woman, A Killer, co-directed with Rick Schmidt. He returned to Hong Kong with a Masters degree and went to work at the public broadcasting outlet R.T.H. (Radio and Television Hong Kong), which had become a launching pad for young film school trained directors who became known as the "Hong Kong New Wave." While there, Wang directed several episodes of the landmark realistic drama series "Below the Lion Rock," about the daily lives of ordinary Hong Kong citizens.

He returned to the U.S. and moved to San Francisco, where he worked for a time with new immigrants from Asia. The experience inspired Wang’s second feature film, the critically acclaimed Chan is Missing, in which he used a thriller plot as a vehicle to explore social conflicts and political divisions in Chinatown. Made in 16mm black & white for just $27,000, Chan is Missing was a decade ahead of the recent wave of "micro-budget" successes such as El Mariachi and Clerks.

Wang's third feature, Dim Sum: A Little Bit of Heart, had its world premiere in the Director's Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival and received a British Academy Award nomination as Best Foreign Film. He next directed the thriller Slamdance starring Tom Hulce, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Virginia Madsen. New York's Chinatown was the setting and the subject of Wang's subsequent Eat a Bowl of Tea, a period drama set in the 1940s and starring Wang's wife Cora Miao and Russell Wong. This was followed by Life is Cheap...But Toilet Paper is Expensive, a gangster comedy filmed in Hong Kong.

Wang’s first studio film was The Joy Luck Club, based on the best-selling novel by Amy Tan. Smoke was based on novelist Paul Auster's original screenplay, and starred Harvey Keitel, William Hurt and Forrest Whitaker. The film won the Silver Bear Award at the Berlin Film Festival and was nominated for France's Cesar Award for Best Foreign Film. It was an enormous box-office success in Europe and Asia. Wang and Auster also co-directed Blue in the Face, a second story employing many of the same actors and settings as Smoke.

More recently, Wang directed Chinese Box, a romance set in Hong Kong, starring Jeremy Irons and Gong Li, and Anywhere But Here starring Susan Sarandon and Natalie Portman.

KEVIN WADE (Screenplay) started his career as a playwright in 1981 with "Key Exchange," which moved from the Off-Off Broadway WPA Theatre to a two-year run at New York’s Orpheum Theater, and was later made into a movie starring Brooke Adams. Wade is also the author of the plays "Cruise Control" and "Mr. & Mrs."

As a screenwriter, Wade made his debut with Working Girl directed by Mike Nichols and starring Melanie Griffith, Sigourney Weaver, and Harrison Ford. The romantic comedy brought him a Golden Globe nomination and a Writer’s Guild Award nomination.

Other screenplay credits include True Colors directed by Herbert Ross and starring John Cusack and James Spader, Junior with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito, Mr. Baseball starring Tom Selleck and directed by Fred Schepisi, and Meet Joe Black starring Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt.

ELAINE GOLDSMITH-THOMAS (Producer) is a partner and head of New York operations for Revolution Studios, where she oversees and develops projects for the company. In addition to her duties of running the New York office, she is supervising the operations of Julia Roberts' Red Om productions, headed by Deborah Schindler.

In the two years Revolution Studios East has been in existence, Thomas has developed an impressive slate of films, many in partnership with Schindler. While Maid in Manhattan was in post-production, Thomas and Schindler began principal photography on Mona Lisa Smile directed by Mike Newell and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marcia Gay Harden. As with Maid in Manhattan, Mona Lisa Smile is being shot in and around the New York area. A third New York-based project, "Queens Supreme," rounds out Thomas' 2002 production schedule. Thomas and Schindler are Executive Producers on "Queens Supreme," an original television series created by Kevin Fox for CBS, and based on an idea pitched to Thomas by her husband, Daniel, the son of a State Supreme Court Judge. "Queens Supreme" is a one-hour drama centered on the behind the scenes politics in State Supreme Court. "We never intended to get involved in series television, but we couldn't pass up a great idea either," says Thomas.

In just one year, Thomas and Schindler were able to bring three new productions to New York, and hope to continue that pattern into 2003. "Our goal is simple", states Thomas. "We develop the scripts until we love them. Until we see them so clearly in our heads, that we are driven to find the right filmmakers and stars to bring that vision to life." Schindler seconds, "Both Elaine and I feel committed to story, plot, and dialogue. We have the utmost respect for writers, and therefore, try to give them the room to allow their projects to grow."

"However long it takes," adds Thomas, "we're not in a race."

Prior to joining Revolution Studios, Thomas was a Senior Vice President at International Creative Management, a position she held since joining the company in 1991. In addition to Julia Roberts, she has represented such talents as Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Connelly, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon, Darren Star, Rupert Everett, Matt Dillon, Spike Lee, Roger Michell and Jonathan Lynn. She began her career as a secretary at the William Morris Agency, where she was promoted to agent in 1985.

DEBORAH SCHINDLER (Producer) is head of the New York-based Red Om Films and Julia Roberts’ producing partner. Red Om Films is based at Revolution Studios East, where Roberts and Schindler work in association with Revolution Studios partner Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas.

Over the past two years, Revolution Studios East and Red Om Films have together developed an impressive slate of projects. During post-production on Maid in Manhattan, principal photography began on Mona Lisa Smile directed by Mike Newell and starring Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Marcia Gay Harden. Schindler and Thomas also serve as Executive Producers on the original TV series for CBS, "Queens Supreme." Created by Kevin Fox and based on an idea by attorney Daniel Thomas, son of a State Supreme Court judge, "Queens Supreme" is a one-hour drama centered on the behind-the-scenes politics in State Supreme Court. Like Maid in Manhattan, and Mona Lisa Smile, "Queens Supreme" is shooting in and around the New York Metropolitan area. In one year, Revolution Studios East and Red Om Films have been able to bring three new productions to New York. Thomas and Schindler hope to continue that pattern in 2003. "Both Elaine and I feel committed to story, plot and dialogue. We have the utmost respect for writers and, therefore, try to give them the room they need to allow their projects to grow," says Schindler. "Our goal is simple," states Thomas. "We develop the scripts until we love them, until we see them so clearly in our heads that we are driven to find the right filmmakers and stars to bring the vision to life."

Previously, Schindler produced How Stella Got Her Groove Back starring Angela Bassett, Whoopi Goldberg and Taye Diggs, and Waiting to Exhale starring Whitney Houston, Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, Lela Rochon, Wesley Snipes, and directed by Forest Whitaker. Both films were adapted from best selling novels by Terry McMillan.

Prior to joining Red Om Films, Schindler enjoyed a ten-year relationship with 20th Century Fox that began in 1990, when Joe Roth, then president of the studio, made an overall deal with her.

Schindler's filmmaking experience has been extensive and varied. She served as Vice President of Creative Affairs, East Coast, for Columbia Pictures, under David Puttnam. She was also Associate Producer on Prelude to a Kiss starring Alec Baldwin and Meg Ryan.

Schindler began her film career as an assistant to Martin Scorsese, with whom she worked on Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Last Temptation of Christ and The Color of Money. She served as associate producer on Scorsese's After Hours.

She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

PAUL SCHIFF (Producer) began his career as a documentary cameraman in New York City. He segued to directing for MTV, where he was on staff for four years during the groundbreaking early days of the cable channel. Schiff moved to feature films as an associate producer of Streets of Gold, beginning his longstanding collaboration with its director, and current Revolution Studios Chairman, Joe Roth.

Schiff then spent a successful seven years based at Twentieth Century Fox, where he produced such films as My Cousin Vinny starring Joe Pesci and Marisa Tomei, The Vanishing starring Jeff Bridges and Kiefer Sutherland, PCU and Ghost in the Machine. Prior to his tenure at Fox, Schiff produced Coupe de Ville, directed by Roth, Renegades, Young Guns and its sequel, all for Morgan Creek Productions.

Schiff produced Wes Anderson’s critically acclaimed Rushmore starring Bill Murray and Jason Schwartzman. He also served as head of production at Propaganda Films. He is currently in production on Mona Lisa Smile starring Julia Roberts.

CHARLES NEWIRTH (Executive Producer) joined Revolution Studios in May 2000. He is responsible for the physical production of all motion pictures at Revolution Studios.

Newirth most recently produced the hit film America’s Sweethearts. He previously produced the 1999 sleeper hit Galaxy Quest and the popular Robin Williams hit Patch Adams, as well as Home Fries starring Drew Barrymore.

His credits as an executive producer include Brad Silberling's City of Angels starring Nicolas Cage and Meg Ryan, Rob Reiner's true-life drama Ghosts of Mississippi with Alec Baldwin, Whoopi Goldberg and James Woods, The American President, also for Reiner, starring Michael Douglas and Annette Bening and Jon Turtletaub's Phenomenon starring John Travolta.

In addition, Newirth co-produced Robert Zemeckis' Academy Award®-winning blockbuster Forrest Gump. He also served as a co-producer on the Barry Levinson films Toys and Bugsy, and as associate producer on Levinson's Avalon.

A native New Yorker, Newirth broke into the film industry as a location manager on such films as Flashdance, Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He later moved up to production manager on Throw Momma From the Train and RoboCop, before getting his first producing credit as associate producer on Andrew Davis' The Package.

BENNY MEDINA (Executive Producer) -- TK

KARL WALTER LINDENLAUB (Director of Photography) Since moving to the U.S. in 1991, award-winning German director of photography Karl Walter Lindenlaub, ASC, bvk, has worked steadily on a wide variety of feature films. Before serving as director of photography on The Banger Sisters co-starring Goldie Hawn and Susan Sarandon, he shot Michael Caton-Jones’ City by the Sea starring Robert DeNiro and Frances McDormand.

Lindenlaub’s recent credits include Garry Marshall’s The Princess Diaries, Jan de Bont’s The Haunting, Up Close and Personal, Red Corner and One Night at McCool’s.

In addition, Lindenlaub has worked on two previous films for director Caton-Jones, The Jackal and Rob Roy. Other career highlights include six films for Roland Emmerich: Independence Day, Stargate, Universal Soldier, Moon 44 (for which he won a German Film Award for Best Cinematography), Ghost Chase and Eye of the Storm, which Emmerich produced.

JANE MUSKY (Production Designer) was most recently production designer on the drama City by The Sea, starring Robert DeNiro.

Musky was production designer on Ethan and Joel Coen's first and second features Blood Simple and Raising Arizona. Among her other credits are Young Guns, When Harry Met Sally…, Ghost, Boomerang, Glengarry Glen Ross, Two Bits, City Hall, The Devil's Own, At First Sight, Illegally Yours and Patty Hearst,

Finding Forrester and The Object of My Affection. Musky's television credits include George C. Wolfe's "Fires in the Mirror" for American Playhouse, PBS's "The Little Sister" and "Under the Biltmore Clock," as well as "LBJ: The Early Years," "Ghost Dancing" and "Murrow."

CRAIG McKAY, A.C.E. (Editor) brings extensive editing credits to Maid in Manhattan, including The Silence of the Lambs, for which he received his second Academy Award® nomination, Philadelphia, Married to the Mob, Something Wild, Swing Shift and Melvin and Howard, all for director Jonathan Demme.

Other feature film credits include K-Pax, Return to Paradise, A Map of the World, Cop Land, Some Mother’s Son, Mad Dog and Glory, Shining Through, Miami Blues, She-Devil, Crack in the Mirror, Private Sessions, Thieves and Scarecrow. McKay’s work on Reds, directed by Warren Beatty, earned him his first Oscar® nomination.

McKay received an Emmy Award® for the TV miniseries Holocaust.

ALBERT WOLSKY (Costume Designer) is a two-time Academy Award® winner for All That Jazz and Bugsy. He also received nominations for his work on Sophie's Choice, The Journey of Natty Gann and Toys. The renowned designer's recent credits are Road to Perdition, Galaxy Quest, Runaway Bride and You’ve Got Mail. Other credits include The Jackal, Striptease, Junior, Up Close and Personal, The Grass Harp, The Pelican Brief, Enemies, A Love Story, Down and Out In Beverly Hills, The Turning Point, Lenny, Grease and Manhattan.

Wolsky began his career working on New York stage productions and his first film was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

ALAN SILVESTRI (Composer) received Oscar® and Golden Globe nominations for his Forrest Gump score and two Grammy nominations for the compositions he created for the Back to the Future trilogy. Silvestri’s most recent credits are Stuart Little 2, Lilo and Stitch, Showtime, Serendipity, The Mummy Returns, What Lies Beneath, Castaway, What Women Want and The Mexican. In all he has composed scores for more than 80 films including The Abyss, Eraser, Predator, The Bodyguard, Romancing the Stone, Stuart Little, Practical Magic, Grumpy Old Men and its sequel Grumpier Old Men, Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride Part II, Contact and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Upcoming for Silvestri is the feature film version of Pirates of the Caribbean.

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