Jennifer Lawrence has shared insights into her past relationship with Darren Aronofsky, describing it as ‘unhealthy’ due to the fact that she was in a relationship with the director while starring in one of his films.
In 2017, Lawrence took the lead in the psychological horror film Mother!, which was both written and directed by Aronofsky.
The movie features Lawrence as a nameless mother whose life is disrupted by strangers invading her home. It received a mixed reception, with some viewers and critics finding it overly disturbing and somewhat perplexing.
Reflecting on the film, Lawrence has acknowledged her own confusion about it. However, she mentioned that dating the director offered her some clarity.
During an appearance on the show Watch What Happens Live, host Andy Cohen asked Lawrence, “On a scale of one to totally confused, how much did you understand your film Mother!?”
Lawrence candidly replied, “I’m going to be honest. Well, I was sleeping with the director, so I had the CliffNotes. So, five. Or four?”
Cohen was taken aback by her response, exclaiming, “Four?! Wow okay, that’s not high.”
Lawrence humorously added, “But if anybody needs any tips on understanding their films, you know what to do!”
To Cohen’s joking comment, “F*** the director?,” Lawrence responded affirmatively, “Yeah!”
In a conversation with Adam Sandler for Variety’s Actors to Actors series, Lawrence admitted that she realized the relationship’s impact when they started going through the film’s reviews together.
“Normally, I promote a movie, ask people to go see it, and then it’s just out of your hands,” she explained.
“I normally just kind of let it go. Dating the director was different. We’d be on the [press] tour together, I’d come back to the hotel, and the last thing I want to talk about or think about is a movie.”
Regarding Aronofsky’s perspective, she noted, “He comes back from the tour, and that’s all he wants to talk about and I get it. It’s his baby. He wrote it. He conceived it. He directed it.”
She further elaborated on the challenge, saying, “I was doing double duty trying to be a supportive partner, while also being like, ‘Can I please, for the love of God, not think about Mother! for one second?’”
Ultimately, Lawrence recognized, “It’s not healthy. Neither of us are doing it because if I read it, I start getting defensive.’ Especially because it’s my man.”
Lawrence reflected, “It’s awesome, what we did — some people hate it and the people who hate it, really hate it.”
“But it’s nothing that needs to be defended and if I read a negative review, I just feel defensive.”
Currently, Lawrence is married to Cooke Maroney, and they are expecting their second child together.