Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence is earning rave reviews for her intense, uncompromising performance in her new film, Die, My Love, and she has credited her own recent postpartum experience for providing essential emotional depth to the role. The dark comedy-drama, directed by Lynne Ramsay, follows Grace (Lawrence), a young mother who spirals into psychosis after the birth of her first child.
Speaking at the film’s New York premiere this past weekend, Lawrence was candid about the personal struggles that informed her work. While she described her first postpartum period with son Cy as comparatively smooth, she revealed her experience following the birth of her second son, Louie (born earlier this year), was “really hard” and fraught with severe anxiety.
Lawrence explicitly stated that this painful period gave her a deeper, more “nuanced perspective” on the role. “I didn’t really end up having really bad postpartum [anxiety] until my second [baby]. I think that just added another layer,” she told reporters. She detailed intrusive fears and constant self-doubt about her capabilities as a parent, feelings that mirror the character’s terrifying isolation in Die, My Love.
By drawing directly from her raw, second-time-around experience, Lawrence was able to transcend mere performance, injecting a powerful sense of lived reality into a role about the often-hidden struggles of new motherhood. The critical acclaim for her turn in Die, My Love, co-starring Robert Pattinson, confirms that Lawrence’s willingness to channel her personal turmoil has yielded one of the most vivid and challenging performances of her career.
