Jennifer Lawrence has been a consistent presence in the movie industry for over a decade, so she has some insight into what makes for a comfortable set. One negative director who doesn’t seem to have left a positive impression is the now “cancelled” Bryan Singer, with her even calling him out by name.
In The Hollywood Reporter’s recent Actress Roundtable, Jennifer Lawrence said, “It was incredible to not be around toxic masculinity [while filming Causeway]…To get a little break from it. And it did always just make us laugh about how we ended up with, ‘Women shouldn’t be in roles like this because we’re so emotional.’ I mean, I’ve worked with Bryan Singer. I’ve seen emotional men. I’ve seen the biggest hissy fits thrown on set.” Singer directed Lawrence in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past and 2016’s X-Men: Apocalypse.
Jennifer Lawrence praised not just the environment of a female-led set but Causeway director Lila Neugebauer in particular. “[She’s] my third female director, and they are the calmest, best decision-makers I’ve ever worked with. I absolutely love working with female directors.” One might note that of the last 10 movies Jennifer Lawrence has made, only one has been helmed by a female director: Causeway.
Jennifer Lawrence isn’t the only major Hollywood actress to call out Bryan Singer for his on-set behavior. In 2020, Halle Berry (who played Storm four times in the X-Men series), said, “Bryan’s not the easiest dude to work with…Sometimes, because of whatever he’s struggling with, he just didn’t always feel present.” Singer hasn’t completed a movie as director since X-Men Apocalypse.
Bryan Singer, of course, has numerous allegations of sexual misconduct, resulting in him losing the Red Sonja directing gig and BAFTA suspending his nomination for Bohemian Rhapsody.
Causeway–in which Jennifer Lawrence plays a soldier trying to adjust to civilian life after being sent home with a brain injury–is currently available on Apple TV+. Lawrence can next be seen in Gene Stupnitsky’s No Hard Feelings.
What do you think about Jennifer Lawrence’s comments? Does she make a strong point? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.