Jennifer Lawrence Opens Up About Brutal Acting Feedback from David O. Russell

Jennifer Lawrence recently opened up about her experiences working with director David O. Russell, saying she never felt degraded by his often aggressive style.

She spoke on The New York Times’ “The Interview” podcast, reflecting on her work with Russell on films like Silver Linings Playbook (2012), American Hustle (2013), and Joy (2015), all of which earned her Oscar nominations. Lawrence won Best Actress at 22 for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.

Russell has a reputation for being intense on set. He famously made co-star Amy Adams cry during American Hustle, prompting Christian Bale to step in and calm the tension.

Despite this, Lawrence said she learned to handle his direct feedback without taking it personally. “I really felt like with David that was his way of communicating in a non-bull**** way. I never felt like he was degrading or yelling at me,” she said. “If he didn’t like something, he was just like: ‘That was terrible. Looked like s***. Do it better.’ And that was a very helpful conversation. How so? I don’t know. ‘Slower! Not so loud!’ I’m not sensitive. I don’t know how you can be in this industry.”

Lawrence also noted that Russell may have been harder on Amy Adams than he was on her. “Maybe he was harder on [Amy Adams] than he was on me,” she said. “I don’t know. I mean, yes, of course I’m sensitive. I’m really sensitive. I don’t know.”

She also credited Christian Bale with teaching her how to approach her craft. Watching him prepare for his scenes on American Hustle helped her understand the value of gradually getting into character. “I was 23 and very sensitive about getting embarrassed in front of the crew,” she said.

“I thought acting was embarrassing. And so I would make a point of not acting until I absolutely had to, at ‘action.’ But then I would see Christian. When the crew started getting ready, the lights started getting ready, and it became clear we were going to start rolling soon, he would slowly start getting ready. I was like… that seems like a good idea and I should do that when I’m more mature and can handle people looking at me and being like, ‘Pshh, she’s acting.’”

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