Years ago, amidst the fervent obsession surrounding the "Hunger Games" saga, Lionsgate spared no expense in orchestrating opulent galas at the Cannes Film Festival to propel the franchise into the limelight. Lavish villas were rented and meticulously transformed into lavish replicas of the movie's indulgent Capitol, where servers adorned with whimsical wigs served endless chocolate fountains and an abundance of colorful macarons, enough to satisfy the sweet tooth of a small metropolis. While the organizers seemingly overlooked the film's fierce critique of capitalist excess, the "Hunger Games" villa parties were undeniably a scandalously decadent spectacle. Intriguingly, for several years, these luxurious gatherings served as the sole allurement that ever tempted the series' lead actress, Jennifer Lawrence, to grace the red carpet of Cannes. Despite being the very epitome of the glamorous, Oscar-winning actress that the festival eagerly adores showcasing, Lawrence had never starred in a film premiering at Cannes—until this very moment.
At a Sunday press conference for her movie "Die My Love," Lawrence appeared equally astonished. Turning towards her director, Lynne Ramsay, she exclaimed, "I still can't believe I'm here with you, and this is actually happening." The film, which has already sparked award buzz for Lawrence's uninhibited performance, serves as another testament to the 34-year-old actress's yearning to delve deeper into darker, more daring material.
Adapted from a novel by Ariana Harwicz, the dramatic flick stars Lawrence and Robert Pattinson as Grace and Jackson, a young couple grappling with Grace's postpartum depression. Initially, she seems merely listless, muttering to herself and snapping at chatty cashiers who attempt to engage her in conversation. Her mother-in-law, portrayed by Sissy Spacek, offers reassurance: "Everyone goes a bit loopy in the first year. You'll bounce back."
Yet, Grace doesn't. As tensions with Jackson escalate, she resorts to increasingly disturbing behaviors—throwing herself through a glass door, stripping down to her underwear at a child's party—just to feel anything that might jolt her out of her numbness. While the film is not an easy watch, Lawrence immerses herself wholeheartedly into her character's descent.
At the press conference, the actress revealed that she was four months pregnant with her second child when filming began. "I had great hormones," she quipped, "which was the only way I could tap into such raw emotion." Nonetheless, she had to draw a clear line between herself and her character. "As a mother, it was incredibly challenging to separate what I would do versus what she would do," Lawrence confessed.
When asked whether parenthood had influenced her creatively, Lawrence nodded affirmatively. "I didn't realize I could feel so much, and my job revolves heavily around emotion," she said. "It's like having a blister, so incredibly sensitive. They've undoubtedly improved my life and creatively transformed me. I highly recommend having children if you aspire to be an actor."
Her co-star Pattinson concurred, stating, "Having a baby bestows upon you an immense wellspring of energy and inspiration." Lawrence arched an eyebrow, "You get energy?" Pattinson chuckled, "It's a different kind of energy," he clarified, adding with a laugh, "This question is virtually impossible for a guy to answer correctly."
During an interview with Lawrence three years prior, she eagerly discussed developing projects like "Die My Love," describing it as the challenging drama her agents once discouraged her from pursuing at the peak of her "Hunger Games" fame. (In 2018, she parted ways with CAA, the agency that represented her for a decade.) With Ramsay's film, she knew she had dived headfirst into uncharted waters the day before shooting commenced, when the director informed her and Pattinson that she wanted a scene where they would attack each other like tigers. "Lynne was like, 'And you'll do it naked, yeah?'" Lawrence recalled, adding, "And that was just the first day!"
