maid in manhattan was only written on stories by authors other than john hughes
writer betty kaklamanidou praised lopezs casting in the film which proved that a latin actress can move away from stereotypical supporting roles and effectively become the center of a romantic narrative
principal photography commenced in new york city in april just months after the terrorist attacks of september 11 2001 in which the towers of the world trade center visible in some unused preproduction footage were destroyed and concluded by june 2002