Jennifer Lawrence on Postpartum Experience: 'You Feel Like an Alien'

Jennifer Lawrence recently opened up about the "extremely isolating" nature of her postpartum experience.

The actor spoke candidly about becoming a mother at a press conference at Cannes to promote her latest film "Die, My Love," a psychodrama by Lynne Ramsay, where she plays a mother spiraling into psychosis while caring for her newborn alone in remote Montana while her husband (Robert Pattinson) goes to work. 

"As a mother, it was really hard to separate what I would do as opposed to what she would do," Lawrence said, according to The Guardian. "And it was just heartbreaking.”

The "Hunger Games" star gave birth to her first child in 2022 and was five months pregnant with her second when she started filming "Die, My Love" in 2024. Lawrence drew upon her experience to portray her role in the film.

"There's not really anything like postpartum … It is extremely isolating. The truth is extreme anxiety and extreme depression is isolating no matter where you are. You feel like an alien," she said. 

"Die, My Love" is adapted from a novel by Argentine author Ariana Harwicz in which she delves into the darker aspects of motherhood.

Pattinson, who became a father in 2024, said he typically prefers playing tougher characters but connected deeply with Jackson's struggles supporting a partner facing mental health challenges.

"Especially in postpartum, trying to deal with her isolation and trying to figure out your heart and your role in the relationship, it's incredibly difficult, especially if you don't have the vernacular," Pattinson said in Cannes. "He's not a mental health professional. He's just hoping that the relationship will go back to what it was."

Despite the film's dark portrayal of early motherhood, Lawrence said becoming a mother has made her a better actor.

"I didn't know that I could feel so much," she said. "My job has a lot to do with emotion … and they've changed me creatively. I highly recommend having kids if you want to be an actor."

During a conversation with actor Cameron Diaz in 2023 for Interview magazine, Lawrence said she has been more selective with projects since having a baby. 

"There's no squeezing when you have a baby," Lawrence said. "There's just home, and it's the best. It definitely helps weed out projects: 'Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Is this worth being away from my child for half the day?'"

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