Jennifer Lawrence loved the script of the 2018 film Red Sparrow when she first read it and was ready to take on the role of Dominika Egorova, a Russian spy. However, the one thing stopping her was a n*de scene in the film. She stayed away from filming such scenes in Hollywood especially after her n*de photos were leaked online in 2014.
Lawrence went on to convince herself to do the scene in the film. She shared that she felt really empowered after filming it. The film was adapted from the 2013 novel of the same name and explored the story of a prima ballerina pushed into becoming a spy after an accident.
Jennifer Lawrence Felt Empowered After Filming Red Sparrow N*de Scene
Jennifer Lawrence was one of the victims of the 2014 iCloud hack, where n*de photos of several celebrities were hacked and posted online. She was traumatized by the violation and called the hack a “s*x crime” and “s*xual violation”. She even condemned people who searched these images, sharing that they should be ashamed for “perpetuating a s*xual offense” (via Vanity Fair).
Lawrence became insecure after the hack and didn’t really feel comfortable doing films involving s*x and n*dity. It posed a major problem when she came across Red Sparrow, a bold script that she really loved and brought to her by The Hunger Games director Francis Lawrence. She wanted to do the role badly, but it involved n*de and s*x scenes of the main character.
The Mother! actress had to convince herself and reframe her mind to finally say yes to the role. During an interview with 60 Minutes, she shared that she finally understood that there was a difference between both situations with regard to her consent.
She revealed that when she showed up and filmed the scene, she felt empowered by the scene. It felt as if she claimed back something that was taken from her. Lawrence shared (via Cinemablend):
I read this script that I’m dying to do And the one thing that’s getting in my way is nudity. And I realized there’s a difference between consent and not. And I showed up for the first day and I did it. And I felt empowered. I feel like something that was taken from me I got back and am using in my art.
When further asked if she was concerned about how others might take her scene in the film, she shared that it didn’t matter anymore. Lawrence shared, “It’s my body and it’s my art and it’s my choice.” She also warned people that they shouldn’t watch Red Sparrow if “you don’t like b**bs.”
Jennifer Lawrence’s Red Sparrow Faced Plagiarism Accusations
One of the major criticisms of Red Sparrow upon its release was its perceived similarities to Marvel’s Black Widow. In both stories, the central characters were brainwashed and recruited into organizations where they engaged in covert operations. The film also had similarities to the 2017 film, Atomic Blonde, starring Charlize Theron.
Former CIA agent Jason Matthews, who wrote the novel, based his story of ‘sparrows’ upon the real-life historical State School 4 in the Soviet Union. During an interview with ScreenRant, the director of the film, Francis Lawrence, confronted the plagiarism accusations leveled against Red Sparrow head-on.
The director shared that the film drew inspiration from a different and real-life source rather than from Black Widow. He pointed out the distinctive elements of the film that set it apart from the Marvel story and confirmed that it was a unique film. He shared:
This is a thriller, it’s not action, again it’s not gadgetry. It’s a hard-R. There’s violence, it’s a bit perverse, it’s suspenseful, a lot of intrigue. It’s a different kind of spy film.
The film eventually grossed a modest $151.6 million at the box office against a budget of $69 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Red Sparrow is available for streaming on FX Now.
