The Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence has given some remarkable performances throughout his career. Whether it’s playing a superhero or embodying the role of a spy, she nails the job every time. And it was the same for her while taking on the lead role in the 2017 mystery horror film, Mother!
However, things did not seem to be too favored towards her while starring in Darren Aronofsky’s fantasy nightmare, as the filmmaker didn’t stop filming even after Lawrence reportedly dislocated her rib during filming.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Harrowing Experience on the Set of Mother!
Directed by Darren Aronofsky and starring Jennifer Lawrence, the 2017 psychological horror Mother! features an incredible performance from the acclaimed actress as she expresses some deep and extreme emotions.
Talking about her experience starring in the horror film, the actress shared that it was one of the darkest roles she had ever taken on, making her uncertain if she would be able to emerge from it.
“I had to go to a darker place than I’ve ever been in my life,” she told Vogue before adding, “I didn’t know if I’d be able to come out OK.”
Reports also claimed that the actress dislocated her rib while filming a grueling scene. The director of the film later confirmed that Lawrence indeed injured herself, with the situation becoming quite serious while filming some of the scenes.
“Yeah, she ended up tearing her diaphragm,” he said in an interview with The Guardian. “She was hyperventilating. Because of the emotion,” he further said.
Not only did he ask the actress to do multiple takes, but also went to the extreme of continuing to film her amid such injuries and recovery, all to capture the raw emotions.
Darren Aronofsky’s Quest to Capture Jennifer Lawrence’s Raw Emotion
Darren Aronofsky, who began a romantic relationship with Jennifer Lawrence soon after wrapping Mother!, also reflected on his uncompromised approach to filming the movie.
The filmmaker clarified that he did give her time to recover as the emotional toll of the scene had overwhelmed her. He also mentioned that she was dwelling on it for too long, leading to an emotional flood during filming.
However, as a filmmaker, he acknowledged that Lawrence had been deeply affected by the scene, and to get the best result, he changed the camera focus to her face after allowing her time to recover.
I’m experienced – and was able to get the camera in the right place. The shot was originally on her back and I flipped the whole thing, let her recover, and then said, ‘Get the camera on her face, right now’, because that’s the kind of emotion that you never, ever see.”
While he admitted that such methods might be seen as dysfunctional by some, he chose not to dwell on the challenges, pointing out that they fit the film’s theme of exploring pain and discomfort.
Mother! is available to stream on Prime Video.
