Jennifer Lawrence on Die My Love and Miss Piggy

TL;DR

Die My Love is a poetic, idiosyncratic work of art, not a Katniss and Edward fan-fiction crossover, despite starring Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson. Lawrence also discusses developing a Miss Piggy film with Emma Stone and Cole Escola, interpreting the source novel with director Lynne Ramsay, and using dance rehearsals to build familiarity with Pattinson.

Transcript

-Welcome back, Jennifer Lawrence. You look fantastic. -Thank you. -We love you. -Tell me if my arm looks fat. [ Cheers and applause ] -Never. Never. -Okay. -I missed you. You know, I haven't seen you in eight years. -Eight years? -It's been eight years since you've been on the show, which is -- so many great things have happened. You're married, yo... Read More

Key Insights

• Die My Love is an idiosyncratic and poetic work of art rather than a crossover fantasy involving Katniss and Edward. Jennifer Lawrence worries that audiences attracted by her pairing with Robert Pattinson may expect fan fiction and feel disappointed by the actual film.
• Martin Scorsese introduced Jennifer Lawrence to the book behind Die My Love after reading it in his book club. He told Lawrence that she would be well suited to the material, prompting her to read it and consider taking on its demanding central role.
• The source novel initially challenged Lawrence because its story is presented entirely through the woman's perspective. She recognized the role's strength but could not immediately determine how the subjective material should work as a film until she understood that it was not literal.
• Lynne Ramsay provided the creative approach that made the adaptation understandable to Lawrence. Lawrence describes Ramsay as a genius and credits her with cracking the material, which was especially meaningful because Ramsay was already a director Lawrence had long wanted to work with.
• The Die My Love cast consisted of the filmmakers' preferred choices, according to Lawrence. She identifies Robert Pattinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte, and Lakeith Stanfield among the actors who accepted, calling the experience unusual from her perspective as a producer.
• Interpretive dance helped Lawrence and Pattinson become familiar before playing a married couple. They had seen each other as actors but did not personally know one another, so Ramsay arranged the deliberately uncomfortable exercise after they arrived in Canada several weeks before production.
• The Miss Piggy film idea began when Lawrence's friend called Miss Piggy a feminist icon and suggested a story in which the character gets canceled. Lawrence clarifies that cancellation is not necessarily the plot, but the conversation revealed the opportunity for a Miss Piggy-led feature.
• Emma Stone and Cole Escola are key collaborators on the proposed Miss Piggy project. Lawrence characterizes herself as the person who brought the idea, while Stone helped guide how to pursue it because of her Muppet knowledge, and Escola is writing the film.

Questions & Answers

Q: What is Die My Love about according to Jennifer Lawrence?

Jennifer Lawrence does not provide a conventional plot summary, but she describes Die My Love as an idiosyncratic, poetic work of art. She emphasizes that it should not be mistaken for fan fiction combining her Hunger Games character, Katniss, with Robert Pattinson's Twilight character, Edward. The film is based on a book told from a woman's perspective and approaches its material nonliterally.

Q: Why is Jennifer Lawrence worried about audience expectations for Die My Love?

Jennifer Lawrence fears that the internet's excitement about Katniss and Edward appearing together will lead people to rush to theaters expecting a fan-fiction-style crossover. She says Die My Love is instead a poetic and distinctive work of art. Her concern is that viewers with the wrong expectation will be disappointed and then become angry with her when the film arrives.

Q: How did Jennifer Lawrence become involved with Die My Love?

Martin Scorsese told Jennifer Lawrence that he had read the source book in his book club and believed she would be great in it. Lawrence then read the book and recognized that it contained an extraordinary role. She initially struggled to understand how its woman-centered perspective could become a film, but she continued considering the material rather than dismissing Scorsese's recommendation.

Q: How did Lynne Ramsay shape the Die My Love adaptation?

Lynne Ramsay found the cinematic approach that Jennifer Lawrence had initially been unable to identify in the source book. Lawrence says she eventually realized the material was not literal, then credits Ramsay with cracking the adaptation and calls her a genius. Ramsay's involvement also fulfilled Lawrence's desire to work with her and helped attract the production's preferred cast members.

Q: Why did Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson take interpretive dance classes?

Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson took interpretive dance classes because director Lynne Ramsay wanted them to become comfortable with each other before playing a married couple. Although they had encountered each other professionally as actors, they did not actually know one another. Lawrence found the exercise embarrassing, but she jokes that Pattinson was a reliable dance partner who did not abandon her.

Q: Who appears in the cast of Die My Love?

Jennifer Lawrence says the production secured every actor who represented its first casting choice. She names Robert Pattinson as the actor playing her husband, along with Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte, and Lakeith Stanfield. From her perspective as a producer, obtaining all of those preferred performers was unusual and demonstrated the drawing power of director Lynne Ramsay's creative leadership.

Q: What is Jennifer Lawrence's Miss Piggy movie idea?

The project began during lockdown when Jennifer Lawrence's friend called Miss Piggy a feminist icon and proposed the comic idea of the character getting canceled. Lawrence stresses that cancellation is not necessarily the movie's plot. The conversation instead made her realize that there had not been a Miss Piggy-starring film of the kind she imagined, motivating her to begin producing one.

Q: How are Emma Stone and Cole Escola involved in the Miss Piggy film?

Jennifer Lawrence brought the Miss Piggy concept to Emma Stone because Stone is deeply knowledgeable about the Muppets and, in Lawrence's playful description, knows how to navigate Hollywood. Lawrence considers herself the person who supplies ideas and wanted Stone to help lead the project forward. Cole Escola is now writing the film, and Lawrence says she expects and wants to appear in it.

Summary & Key Takeaways

• Jennifer Lawrence returns to The Tonight Show after eight years and jokes about her nervousness, public image, and tendency to generate headlines during interviews. She says she accepts being annoying and does not want people defending her, turning the discussion into a self-aware exchange with Jimmy Fallon about internet reactions and talk-show anxiety.

• Lawrence is producing a possible Miss Piggy film after a friend described the character as a feminist icon and imagined her being canceled. That conversation inspired Lawrence to consider a Miss Piggy-led story. Emma Stone became involved as a knowledgeable Muppet enthusiast, while Cole Escola is writing the project, which Lawrence expects to join onscreen.

• Die My Love reached Lawrence through Martin Scorsese, who recommended its source book and thought she suited the central role. Lawrence initially struggled to translate its subjective, nonliteral perspective into film. Director Lynne Ramsay unlocked the adaptation, assembled Lawrence's preferred cast, and had Lawrence and Robert Pattinson take interpretive dance classes before filming.