“Doing It With a Stranger Is Preferable”: Jennifer Lawrence Doesn’t Like Her R-Rated Sex Scenes to be with Friends

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Over the last two decades, I’ve watched Jennifer Lawrence really come into her own as a major Hollywood star. She’s become incredibly successful, topping the list of highest-paid actresses in both 2015 and 2016, and consistently appearing on ‘most influential people’ lists. She’s worked with pretty much every leading man in the business, and naturally, that’s meant sharing some pretty intimate moments on screen. But it turns out, when it comes to those movie love scenes, Lawrence definitely has a preference for who she has the best on-screen chemistry with.

Jennifer Lawrence’s new movie centers on Grace, a mother battling severe postpartum depression and psychosis. This leads to the breakdown of her marriage with her husband, Jackson (played by Robert Pattinson), and her overall well-being. The film is a dark and intense psychological exploration with subtle sexual themes, and features intimate scenes between Lawrence and Pattinson. Interestingly, Lawrence found it easier to film these scenes because she didn’t know Pattinson personally.

It was actually better that Rob and I didn’t know each other beforehand. I mean, think about the ‘Hunger Games’ – I would have had to kiss Josh Hutcherson, and that would have been so awkward! It’s just… weird. So, working with someone I didn’t know was definitely easier.

For a particularly intense scene in Die My Love, Lawrence and Pattinson had to simulate a very physical encounter. Director Lynne Ramsey prepared them by leading them through an interpretive dance exercise before filming even began on the first day.

We arrived in Calgary about three weeks before filming began, and Rob and I are both easily embarrassed, so the initial rehearsals were mortifying. Neither of us is a dancer – Rob is particularly bad! – and they asked us to move like trees, which was incredibly awkward. By the time the director asked us to undress, we were just relieved it wasn’t more interpretive dance…

‘Die My Love’ Was a Divisive Low-Key Movie

Though starring well-known actors, the November 2025 release of Die My Love didn’t achieve blockbuster success. It earned $11 million in theaters across 1,500 screens before becoming available on the Mubi streaming service in late December.

The film earned a six-minute standing ovation at Cannes and generally positive reviews from critics (currently 74% on Rotten Tomatoes), but viewers had a much more mixed reaction. Described as an artistic and character-driven movie, Die My Love wasn’t for all tastes. While some hailed it as a brilliant and immersive experience, praising the chemistry between Lawrence and Pattinson and its important themes, others didn’t connect with its style – reflected in its 46% audience score on Popcornmeter.

Many negative reviews were harshly critical, with some calling the movie a “complete waste of time” and “a drawn-out bore.” One reviewer, who hadn’t felt compelled to write a review since a film called Long Legs, described it as one of the most unpleasant movies they’d ever attempted to watch. Another reviewer was even more critical, stating that the film made them dislike the actors, particularly Jennifer Lawrence, whom they found terrible in both performance and character.

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“Die My Love” wasn’t made to appeal to a wide audience, and that’s likely true whether you focus on the raw intensity of the acting or the film’s difficult themes. It deliberately aims to be unsettling and thought-provoking, not a typical crowd-pleaser, and it achieves that goal effectively.

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2026-01-10 17:07