In a candid and revealing conversation, Academy Award-winning actor Jennifer Lawrence has publicly shifted her long-held policy on discussing her private life, specifically regarding her children. The change in stance emerged during a roundtable discussion with The Hollywood Reporter, where Lawrence connected her personal experience to her upcoming film role.
A Change of Heart on Privacy
Jennifer Lawrence admitted she surprised herself by becoming more open about her life as a mother. The actor, who has always been fiercely protective of her family's privacy, explained the evolution of her thinking. "I was surprised when I started doing this because I've always been really strict about, 'I don't want to talk about my kids,'" Lawrence stated. The discussion was prompted by the press tour for her new movie, Die My Love, which centers on a new mother grappling with postpartum depression and psychosis.
Lawrence found the subject matter of the film made it impossible to avoid the topic of motherhood entirely. She has now settled on a new approach. "I've landed on, 'I will talk about my experience as a mother,'" she shared. This nuanced shift allowed her to engage with the film's themes while reflecting on her own journey. She acknowledged, "It did make me realize that it was not something I had considered" previously.
Sharing a Personal Struggle with Postpartum Depression
The conversation took a deeply personal turn when interviewer Seija Rankin noted Lawrence's generosity in discussing her experiences. Lawrence quipped in response, "Too generous. I hear what you're saying." Rankin highlighted that Lawrence had spoken about medication that helped her following the birth of her second child, an experience the actor described as "really bad postpartum."
Lawrence specifically named the medication Zurzuvae as "really helpful" in managing her condition. She and her husband, art gallery director Cooke Maroney, are parents to two sons. Their first child, Cy, was born in 2022. They welcomed their second son in April 2024, though they have not publicly announced his name. A photo of Lawrence pregnant with her second child was taken on November 17, 2024.
The Intrusive Thoughts of New Motherhood
Lawrence had previously detailed the severity of her recent postpartum experience in an interview with The New Yorker. She laid bare the intrusive and distressing thoughts that plagued her. "I just thought every time he was sleeping he was dead," she confessed. Her anxiety also manifested as guilt and self-doubt. "I thought he cried because he didn't like his life, or me, or his family. I thought I was doing everything wrong, and that I would ruin my children."
By sharing these starkly honest details, Jennifer Lawrence joins a growing number of public figures who are helping to destigmatize conversations around postpartum mental health. Her decision to pivot from a stance of total privacy to one of selective sharing about her maternal experience underscores the powerful link between art and personal life, and how profound challenges can reshape long-held boundaries.
