Jennifer Lopez’s Big Fight Maneuvers in ‘Enough’ Bruised Her Co-Star’s Ribs
The early 2000s saw Jennifer Lopez headline more than 10 movies, including 2002’s Enough. She played Slim, a charming server who fell head over heels for a wealthy diner customer. Billy Campbell starred opposite Lopez in the film which centered on domestic abuse. In the end, Slim fought her husband like a well-trained fighter, but shooting those scenes left Lopez and Campbell bruised.
Jennifer Lopez hurt Billy Campbell’s ribs in ‘Enough’
Armed with her dance background, Jennifer Lopez segued into combat training to prepare for her role in Enough as Slim. Midway through the film, her character connected with a professional to teach her self-defense moves, and she prepared for a showdown with her tormentor, Mitch.
Fans may recall how Slim laid out a trap for him at his home to shut down his abusive behavior once and for all. With her hair cut and dyed, she dressed in athletic gear and confronted him. In those final scenes, J.Lo landed hits and kicks on her attacker, and she did her best to thwart his punches. Behind the scenes, she and co-star Billy Campbell took a beating.
During a red carpet interview with Hollywood.com for Enough, Campbell explained how they battered one another while shooting the sequence.
“Hammering each other! I have to say that she got the better of me. I bruised her arm — I’m pretty sure about that. And I know for a fact she bruised my ribs. She may have separated them,” said Campbell. Lopez stated that the movie reminded her of a “female Rocky” and it was all about empowerment.
Lopez learned Krav Maga for the movie
When it came time to train for the film, Lopez opted to learn Krav Maga. She told the Associated Press that the script called for Taekwondo, but she didn’t find it plausible for her character.
“It said taekwondo or something like that in the script, but I found it very unbelievable could go and become a karate master in 5-6 weeks. It’s just not gonna happen,” said Lopez. “So, we really did some research and my trainer — we found out that this Krav Maga technique is something that’s learned quickly. That women can actually beat men because you use their body weight against them. It just seemed like the perfect thing.”
She added that Wade Allen trained her about 7-8 weeks before filming began. He’s known for being a highly skilled instructor and later went on to train Angelina Jolie for Salt. And both she and Campbell wound up sore and bruised.
Campbell said Lopez ‘approved’ him for ‘Enough’ after meeting
When Campbell was promoting the film back in 2002, he sat with talk show host Conan O’Brien. At the time, there was a rumor that J.Lo had to approve Campbell to play her husband in Enough. He told the host she saw him at the Golden Globes one year and pegged him for the part. However, after meeting with the director and producer, he had to meet with her to see if they meshed well.
“I had to go to J.Lo’s house to get approved,” said Campbell. He’d heard rumors about so-called diva behavior and was nervous upon going to her house. It turns out they were all unfounded, and he broke the ice by playing with her dog.
