Jennifer Lawrence recently shared her thoughts during a live episode of the “Happy Unhappy Puzzled” podcast (via Peopel) about the dynamics of performing intimate scenes with unfamiliar actors. She expressed that such situations tend to be less uncomfortable, as ther is no pre-existing friendship complicating the experience.As a notable example, she compared her experience filming a nude scene with Robert Pattinson in “Die My Love” to kissing Josh Hutcherson in “The Hunger Games,” where their established friendship added an extra layer of awkwardness.
The two actors shot their intimate scene on the very first day of filming Lynne Ramsay’s psychological drama about a new mother grappling with psychosis.
Insights on Intimacy in Film
“It was actually easier because Rob adn I were strangers, which is kind of better, you know?” Lawrence remarked. “In ‘The Hunger Games,’ when Josh and I had to kiss, it was like… Imagine that! It’s more personal and so yeah, being with someone you don’t know feels preferable.”
While working on “Die My Love,” an intimacy coordinator was brought in to assist Lawrence and pattinson during their intimate scenes; however, Lawrence revealed last year that they didn’t strictly adhere to having one present on set.
“We didn’t have [an intimacy coordinator], or if we did, it wasn’t really enforced… I felt completely pleasant with Rob,” she stated during an appearance on the “Las Culturistas” podcast. “He’s not inappropriate and is very much in love with [partner] Suki Waterhouse. We mostly talked about our kids and relationships. There was never any weird vibe like ‘does he like me?’ If there had been even a hint of that tension,I might have considered having an intimacy coordinator. A lot of male actors can get upset if you’re not interested in them romantically; then things can get complicated. But he wasn’t like that.”
In another interview, Lawrence discussed how she approached nudity differently for this film compared to her role in the R-rated comedy “no Hard Feelings,” where she prepared extensively before shooting.
“I’m indifferent about nudity; it doesn’t bother me,” said Lawrence. “I wanted Lynne to have complete artistic freedom… Being pregnant stripped away a lot of vanity concerns for me. Before ‘No Hard Feelings,’ I was dieting hard and avoiding carbs while working out constantly. But while filming ‘Die My Love,’ I was pregnant! What could I do? not eat? I worked 15 hours each day—I was just exhausted… They sent over close-ups showing cellulite asking if we should touch them up—and my response was simply ‘No! That’s just my body.’”
The film ”Die My Love” is currently available for streaming on Mubi.