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Below are the best parts of the conversation.
Its very fun, joked Lawrence of the luncheon.
Why is it fun?
Im kidding, deadpanned Lawrence.
She was talking to is it okay that I say this?
Yeah, said Lawrence, laughing.
Darren Aronofsky, at the car park, finished Russell.
Lawrence shrugged at the audience: Did a lot of networking at that lunch, I guess!
What did you mean when you said that?
I was so young and inexperienced.
By the time I got to you, you shaped me.
Watching our movies, everything Ive learned, Ive taken through my entire career.
I was so amazed by you, and just open.
You wrote it and Id do it and youd tell me how to do it better.
I dont know how to explain the vessel thing!
she said, laughing.
You showed up as a raw talent with no neurosis and no self-consciousness, added Russell.
She was completely fearless.
She has a certain energy that hasnt been in movies in a while.
Young and old and loose and powerful and focused.
You walk in 20 minutes into the movie and you take over the movie.
It was like, Whos this person?
You owned this space.
Were outside one night shooting, and shes walking around readingAnna Karenina.
She didnt go to college; shes self-taught, like Jack Nicholson.
[Jennifer], do you remember what happened?
You said, Have you gotten to the part where she jumps in front of a train yet?
I didnt go to school, I didnt know any of that.
I said, Oh, no, no, no, I was just joking around, said Russell.
It looked like you were right at the train part.
I was like, three pages away from it, said Lawrence.
She had a completely emotional reaction, said Russell.
She said, Surely Vronsky is coming back.
Surely hes coming back.
And she started to cry.
She was so invested in the story.
She was emotionally devastated.
She wasnt cynical or ironic or snarky.
Shes a tremendously sincere and funny person.
To me, it was very beautiful that you had that reaction.
Afterward, Lawrence admitted shed barely prepared for the moment.
Im just like, Im gonna go home and watch TV!
So I didnt read my lines [the night before] and it was that scene.
I remember I went in and did it and then I couldnt do it anymore after that.
We had just the one time.
I remember you doing a whole bunch of times, said Russell.
I guess my insecurities manifested real memories, deadpanned Lawrence.
Whats up with that?
said Lawrence, laughing.
You changed the game, he said.
Like a pass that covers 90 yards.
ForHustle, the tables were turned.
Can I say what you said?
You said, Do I get to have big hair and long nails and be crazy?
Okay, Ill do it.
I was reading the script with my stubby nails and thinking about that, said Lawrence.
Young filmmakers, thats all you have to do.
Give me big hair and long nails.
She was originally supposed to hang herself.
But I thought, Shes too alive!
Shes too much fun.
I rewrote the scene the day we did it.
I said, This is what were gonna do.
Heres how the scenes gonna go.
We turned it into a transcript, and you guys did it.
That was the only way to get rid of Roslyn, said Lawrence.
We didnt need to kill her.
It just had to be her idea.
Its a hell of a way to get to know somebody, said Lawrence.
It was really good for our chemistry.
Not good for my dancing Im such a bad dancer!
We did it for six weeks.
Bradley probably did it for three, but I needed six.
The dance came out exactly like I hoped it would, said Russell.
Youre not supposed to be professional dancers.
Lawrence added that she wished we hadnt let ourselves forget the dance steps.
It would be so cool to whip that out.
One day we were bored on the set ofSerenaso we did it.
