Jennifer Lawrence talks upcoming movie 'No Hard Feelings', life as a producer and more
Jennifer Lawrence opened up about her upcoming movie, "No Hard Feelings,” and how she made her way into her big screen comedy debut.
"I had just had a baby, so I definitely wasn't planning on working,” Lawrence, who welcomed her first child with husband Cooke Maroney last February, said in an interview with "Good Morning America" that aired Monday.
"And I just, I read the script, and it was just too funny. It was the funniest thing I had ever read," she added.
Lawrence, 32, portrays the main character, Maddie Barker in "No Hard Feelings,” which follows a story of a young woman who’s on the verge of losing her house after experiencing financial troubles. While in search of solutions, she comes across a job listing from wealthy helicopter parents who are looking for someone to date their introverted 19-year-old son Percy, played by Andrew Barth Feldman, in an effort to bring him out of his shell before he leaves for college.
In her sit-down interview with George Stephanopoulos, the Oscar-winning actress explained the film was inspired by a real-life advertisement which was posted on Craigslist.
"Yeah, about four years ago — the director's a good friend of mine. We've been friends for a long time. And we were getting dinner, and he showed me the Craigslist ad,” she said. "And I just thought it was hilarious, but I in no way thought I was gonna, like, be in the movie or that — there was no movie. It was just the ad, and we laughed about it. And then four years later, he sent me the script.”
Lawrence told Stephanopoulos she and her crew would be laughing "multiple times a day” when being reminded of the premise of the film.
"You'd be doing certain scenes, and you'd get so focused on the scene that when you, like, zoom out and remember what the movie's about, it's just so funny,” she explained. "But it definitely is — a jab at the helicopter parents, they're trying to do what they think is gonna make their son happy and — bring him out of his shell.”
Gushing over her costar Barth Feldman, 21, Lawrence said scoring a talent like him for the role was "unbelievable.”
"We just wouldn't have made the movie if we couldn't find the right Percy, and we auditioned some great actors. And it was just immediate,” she shared. "He's so smart and cool and dialed. And he put off going to Harvard to do this movie, very Percy like.”
In addition to playing the lead character, Lawrence also served as a producer in the Gene Stupnitsky-directed film. Other familiar faces who are part of the cast include Natalie Morales, Hasan Minhaj, Laura Benanti and Matthew Broderick.
In the chat with Stephanopoulos, Lawrence also spoke about her life as a producer, telling him that it’s going "good.”
"It's busy, but focused and streamlined,” she continued, "I don't take on anything that I can't personally read every draft of and give notes on.”
Asked whether she would be interested in dipping her toes into the world of directing, she replied, "You know, I used to think that, and now I'm just so tired. And it just looks so hard,” followed by a laugh.
Lawrence added that she is currently appreciating her life with her own little family of three. "There is just once you start your family, it's just — it's the greatest thing in the world. I'm just gonna try to take in every second and be present and enjoy it,” she said.
Discussing her goal for the audience to take away from the film, she said, "I just want them to laugh. I just want everybody to laugh and have a good time.”
"No Hard Feelings” hits theaters nationwide on June 23, 2023.
