Betty Gilpin's Candid Confession: The Nerve-Wracking Scene with Jennifer Lopez

When Betty Gilpin describes her birth scene in her new movie as “wild,” it's something of an understatement.

The new rom-com Office Romance(on Netflix now) stars Jennifer Lopez and Brett Goldstein as coworkers embarking on a secret romance under their company's strict no-relationships policy. Gilpin, 39, plays Lopez's workaholic pal Sydney, who spends most of the story quite pregnant until (spoiler alert!) she suddenly goes into labor in the office, giving birth on a desk.

“I had done birth scenes before,” the GLOW alum tells PEOPLE, “but never with a literal prosthetic vagina before.” Before filming the scene, Gilpin recalls, she “was kind of panicking about it.”

What got her through it? “When I got to set, I realized, oh, I'll literally be holding the hand of one of our greatest working mothers in this nation, Jennifer Lopez,” she quips of her costar, a mom of two.

Gilpin's own experience as a parent — who did not give birth in an office — informed Sydney's life-changing scene too. The actress and her husband Cosmo Pfeil welcomed two daughters, in November 2020 and May 2024.

“It just felt like this meta thing of what being a working parent sometimes feels like,” says Gilpin, “where you feel fully exposed and like you're screaming at the sun and your guts are on the table whether you want them or not out there.”

But the Office Romance birthing scene, she adds, also “felt really empowering and silly and fun. And then it was time to go put my real kids to bed! It's like, ‘Oh, I guess that's my legacy now on camera forever. Well, time to make some mac and cheese.'”

The Ol Parker-directed rom-com allowed Gilpin to live a fantasy she didn't know she needed: a high-glam pregnancy. “My first pregnancy was in the pandemic and I wore all of my husband's clothes. So to be fake pregnant in stilettos and chic corporate wear, with full beat, full Kris Jenner beat, was different.”

Office Romance, co-written by Goldstein and Joe Kelly and costarring Tony Hale, Amy Sedaris and Edward James Olmos, is on Netflix as of Friday, June 5.

Amal Clooney Wore Optical Illusion Jeans Cosigned by Jennifer Lopez—Fall-Ready Styles Start at $44

My list of must-try jean trends for 2026 is growing; it currently includes all the silhouettes one denim expert revealed to me as the must-watch of the year (save for baggy jeans, because I’ve been wearing those for years). That said, one style that didn’t land on said aforementioned list, but is clearly due for big, big things this year, is flare jeans. With a growing list of celebrity fans that includes Meghan Markle, Jennifer Lopez, Reese Witherspoon, Cindy Crawford, Kendrick Lamar (you know that moment), and, of course, Amal Clooney, there’s no denying the retro denim style that was popular in the early aughts is back—and bigger than ever.

The fact that Clooney wore flared jeans is noteworthy in and of itself. The human rights lawyer is known for her refined dressing approach, regularly opting for billowy trousers, trendy boho blouses, and comfy sweater dresses—all staples that read elegant and timeless. So, when I spotted her earlier this year in the laid-back blues while out to dinner with hubby George Clooney, I knew I had to write about it. Of course, the fact that she wore flare jeans, the style countless celebs have worn the last few weeks, is noteworthy, too, as it further cements the style’s ‘It’ status for 2026.