One of Hollywood's most beloved actresses, Jennifer Lawrence became a global star thanks to her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games franchise. She also proved her dramatic range with Silver Linings Playbook, for which she won a Best Actress Academy Award, and acclaimed roles in American Hustle and Joy.
But her latest role — in the filmmaker Lynne Ramsay's Die My Love, portraying a new mum struggling with postpartum depression — is quite a departure from her previous work.
"There was a lot that I identified with in terms of the identity crisis you have when you first become a mother. It changes everything. It changes who you are and changes your everyday," says Jennifer, 35, who married the art dealer Cooke Maroney in 2019.
© WireImageThe couple welcomed their first son, Cy, in 2022, and their second son was born earlier this year.
The film is based on Ariana Harwicz's novel of the same name, and the book came to Jennifer via an unlikely source. "I got a call from Martin Scorsese," the actress recalls. "He had read this book in his book club and said: 'I think this is a role you should play.' I was just like: 'Hello…?'"
"I was fortunate to have a great postpartum with my first, which was when I read Ariana's book. Because I wasn't in such a low place, I was able to look at it more directly and deeply, and could actually go there," she adds.
© WireImageJennifer further shares: "But after giving birth to my second, I did experience [a] really hard postpartum. So it's bizarre watching the movie now and seeing everything in retrospect, after feeling as though I've been through that forest."
Jennifer stars as young mother Grace, opposite Robert Pattinson, who plays her partner, Jackson. We meet the couple as they move from New York to a remote country house. As Grace tries to establish her identity with a new baby in the isolated environment, she slowly unravels, while Jackson disappears for days.
Now that she is a mother herself, Jennifer has a greater understanding of the work involved in raising children. "Mothers are being seen as humans who are enduring a great deal of work daily," she says. "This is somebody who's taking care of a household, raising a child and dealing with the pressure."
Of filming Die My Love in Canada in 2024, she recalls: "The process with Lynne was fantastic. She's such a brilliant artist. I've been a huge fan of hers for so long."
If Grace feels rejected by her husband after giving birth to their baby, with her nights spent breastfeeding rather than lovemaking, Jennifer can surely relate. "It's certainly a general experience – wanting to be exciting to your husband, wanting to feel that connection and the dopamine hit of sex," she says. "Your body, your mind and your relationship change after you have a baby. But I don't think you have to have had a baby or gone through postpartum to understand this film."
Away from the spotlight, Jennifer is known for her candid, down-to-earth personality, which makes her a fan favorite. And having set up her own production company, she hopes to get more female-driven stories told. "Women deserve the platform and the spotlight. Look at Greta Gerwig — she's one of my favorite directors, and Zoe Kravitz just directed an amazing movie. So, when we're given the opportunities, the world benefits, artistic integrity benefits and there's more perspective in storytelling," she says.
© GC ImagesFounded in 2018, Jennifer's Excellent Cadaver has already produced the drama Causeway and the comedy No Hard Feelings. And last year, alongside Chelsea and Hillary Clinton, she executive-produced the documentary Zurawski v. Texas, looking at the eponymous court case surrounding reproductive rights in the U.S.
Die My Love serves as another, albeit intensely unsettling, look at women's issues. As a mother of two, Jennifer fears for the future, she admits. "I'm terrified for my children, for all of our children," she says.
© GC Images"What makes me so sad is that this disrespect and the discourse in American politics right now is going to be normal to them. For the kids who are voting right now at 18, it's going to be totally normal to them that politics has no integrity.
"Politicians lie. There's no empathy, and everybody needs to remember that when you ignore what's happening on one side of the world, it won't be long until it's on your side as well. I wish that there was something I could say, something that I could do, to fix this extremely complex and disgraceful situation that breaks my heart."
Die My Love is in UK cinemas now.
