The one actor who intimidated Jennifer Lawrence: “Doing scenes with him is so powerful”
Rising to prominence in the early 2010s with roles in movies like Winter’s Bone, X-Men: First Class, and The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence’s ascent to fame was quick. By performing in a range of genres, she proved herself to be an adaptable and versatile star, winning her first Academy Award for her role in Silver Linings Playbook, making her one of the youngest ‘Best Actress’ winners of all time.
Lawrence has since performed in everything from American Hustle to Mother!, the rest of the Hunger Games series, X-Men: Apocalypse, and No Hard Feelings. As one of the most recognisable stars of her generation, also known for being relatable and down-to-earth, Lawrence has achieved so much in a very short amount of time, cementing her place in Hollywood as a vital figure.
She has already worked alongside some impressive actors, such as Robert De Niro, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Charlotte Rampling, who we would consider acting royalty. It must be one of the greatest parts of the job—getting to work alongside and perhaps even become friends with people you have grown up watching and deeply admire.
Naturally, there are some stars that might just render you speechless. For Lawrence, one of the actors she was most nervous to work with was Jeremy Irons, who has enjoyed a rather illustrious career in both Hollywood and his home turf in Britain, appearing in many classic movies. Lawrence was cast alongside him in Red Sparrow by Francis Lawrence, a movie that stirred up controversy with some critics due to its constant barrage of overly sexual scenes and nudity. Some believed the film was too focused on female objectification, with Lawrence playing a Russian spy who trains in ‘sexpionage’.
While the movie was criticised for its themes, the performances of the cast were applauded, particularly Lawrence’s. Yet, she was in disbelief that she was able to work with such huge stars, finding herself “so intimidated” by Irons, simply because of his long list of credits in iconic movies.
From The Lion King to The French Lieutenant’s Woman, Dead Ringers, Brideshead Revisited, Lolita, and Inland Empire, he has had a varied and impressive, award-winning career. Not only that, he has enjoyed a long tenure in the theatre, earning acclaim as one of the finest actors of his era.
Talking to Female.com, Lawrence said, “I was so intimidated. I mean, it’s Jeremy Irons! He’s actually the nicest person, and so much fun to work with but doing scenes with him is so powerful. Even when I watch them back now I can feel how I felt when I was doing them with him. He just completely transforms.”
While the movie might not have been the pair’s greatest work, Lawrence was just pleased that she was able to work with an actor whom she deeply admired. Even though the movie featured some impressive stars—it also included actors like Charlotte Rampling and Joel Edgerton—it wasn’t enough to save the movie from failure. With multiple scenes of sexual abuse and male gaze nudity, Red Sparrow flopped.
