Jennifer Lawrence has been taking on a new role in her personal life that she couldn’t turn down- a first-time mother. She was first reported to be pregnant back in September 2021 and gave birth to her son, Cy, the following February. Now that the Mother! actress is a mother herself, she spoke to fellow Hollywood star and mom Cameron Diaz about how having a baby helps her say no to projects.
When actors decide to have children, there are some who have left the business entirely to be full-time parents, and there are others like Jennifer Lawrence and Cameron Diaz who make both professions work. While Diaz interviewed Lawrence for Interview Magazine, the There's Something About Mary lead to the Hunger Games star about how she chooses projects. Here's how the conversation went:
Cameron Diaz: "Thanks, man. So how is it for you in-between projects? Especially now that you’re a mom, are you feeling like you want to spend time at home? Or does it feel like you can still squeeze in a project here and there?"
Jennifer Lawrence: "There’s no squeezing when you have a baby. 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?'"
CD: "That’s the measure."
It appears the Oscar-winning actress has a good head on her shoulders about prioritizing her time with her family and being in front of the camera. One of the drawbacks of being a working mom is being away from your child. However, I’m sure the little guy is always very happy to see his mom when she comes home.
Lawrence continued telling Diaz that it helps to be married to “the greatest father in the world,” Cooke Maroney, whom she got engaged to in 2019. The Hunger Games actress was also asked if she ever felt like “dipping out at any point” professionally, and she responded that the thought has crossed her mind in the past once motherhood became part of her life. Although, of course, she said she changes her mind once she gets handed a script for a role she can’t refuse. The priority for the 32-year-old actress though is to put her child first and deal with any challenges that come from Hollywood as they appear.
The journey to motherhood was not an easy one for Jennifer Lawrence. In her early 20s, the Don’t Look Up actress suffered two miscarriages which required her to get a D&C surgical procedure. But once she gave birth for the first time, she felt like she was starting her life over with a larger appreciation for newborn babies. You can also see how being a parent has impacted her professionally, as she's consistently released one movie per year since 2018, with Causeway and No Hard Feelings being her latest works from 2021 and 2022, respectively.
Cameron Diaz was the perfect person to interview Jennifer Lawrence as she has a deep understanding of what it’s like being a new mom. The Charlie’s Angels star felt the struggles of being both an actress and a mom at first, but she got support from her family to keep going with her career.
She chose to stop making movies to focus on her personal life with her family and friends. Then, it was reported last year that Diaz decided to un-retire to star in a Netflix movie with Jamie Foxx called Back in Action, and reportedly her husband helped encourage her to get back into acting. That’s why sometimes in life, you don’t have to choose. With the right amount of support, you can do more than you might think.
While Jennifer Lawrence is still the high-profile actress we know and love, it’s good that she’s prioritizing her son above taking on too many acting projects. Luckily for us, one of those projects is premiering on the 2023 movie release schedule, as No Hard Feelings hits theaters on June 23.
