In addition to her mega-successful career as an Oscar-winning actor and producer, Jennifer Lawrence is also famous as a “Housewives” franchise superfan. The actor has proclaimed her love for the Bravo series several times and has appeared on “Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen.”
While at the Toronto International Film Festival for her film “Causeway,” Lawrence chatted with Variety about her take on “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills’” latest season, and particularly the housewife Erika Jayne. Jayne has been at the center of several controversies involving her husband, Tom Girardi, allegedly embezzling millions of dollars from victims of horrific accidents. And more recently Jayne was caught in an epic face off with current housewives Crystal Kung Minkoff and Garcelle Beauvais when it was suggested that she could pay off the alleged victims with a pair of $1.3 million earrings.
“My biggest problem with this season is that it’s just been boring and I think that Erika is evil,” Lawrence said at the Variety Studio presented by King’s Hawaiian at TIFF. “I would go as far as to say, she needs a publicist ASAP.” Lawrence suggested that Jayne’s fellow cast members had a duty to help the “Chicago” star realize how badly she is coming across — comparing the situation to a famous episode of “Real Housewives of New York” in which that cast allowed a tipsy Dorinda Medley to film for hours with lipstick smeared across her face.
Co-star on the “Causeway” Brian Tyree Henry is also a fan, but was more hesitant to get involved. “Don’t drag me into this, I don’t want Dorinda or Erika coming for me, we’re good,” the actor said. However, Henry was more than willing to voice his opinion on new housewife Kathy Hilton. When asked if whether or not the cast member should stay or go both Lawrence and Henry’s responses were the same.
“Stay! Are you out of your mind!” Henry exclaimed. Both Lawrence and Henry also reluctantly agreed that cast member Sutton Stracke should stay.
As for their film “Causeway,” which premiered at the Festival on Saturday, Lawrence praised director Lila Neugebauer’s work. Joined by her producing partner from Excellent Cadaver, Justine Polsky, the four spoke about the film, which focuses on a young Army engineer forced to move back with her mother after a traumatic injury, as she meets and forms a bond with a good-natured mechanic.
Lawrence spoke about the responsibility she felt playing a veteran and the research she did into portraying disability on the film.
“There was an extreme pressure to do justice by these people who come home with trauma and these unseen injuries that aren’t linear,” Lawrence said. “We worked nonstop with occupational therapists and I spoke with countless heroes who came home with TBIs. And the one through-line was that there was not one thing that it looked like. It looked different for everybody.”
“How many of us are walking around with disabilities we don’t show, scars we don’t show? Just the whole concept of concealing trauma and what a disability is. Disability is usually something that’s put on you,” Henry said. “I think that’s what this movie is unpacking. Our characters, we are considered disabled, but unless we show you what those are, you wouldn’t know. And that’s the greatest thing about these two characters, is they get to a place where they completely disrobe that and let everything fall to the wayside, show each other each other’s scars, let each other in, let each other know the loneliness that comes with it.”
She also discussed how using her “the movie star thing” to protect her director’s creative process. “That’s my most helpful tool as a producer is just being, ‘Well I don’t want to do that scene.’ If doesn’t want to do it.”
Critics have been pretty excited about the chemistry between Henry and Lawrence, which was found very early on during the production process. “We shared chapstick,” the actors revealed. Lawrence dubbed Henry a “Christian Bale chameleon” and the appreciation was clearly mutual between cast mates.
“Causeway” is scheduled to release on Apple TV+ Nov. 4. The film received positive reviews out of TIFF, with Lawrence and Henry gaining praise for their performances.
