Behind the Scenes
After ‘Don’t Look Up,’ Jennifer Lawrence Can Never Be Embarrassed Again
Rapping along to Wu-Tang Clan marked peak cringe.
Dec. 24, 2021
Jennifer Lawrence on Singing Wu-Tang Clan in ‘Don’t Look Up’ - Netflix Tudum
Remember when Jennifer Lawrence face-planted on the stairs during the 85th Academy Awards in 2013? Well, according to her, that cringefest was nothing compared to what she felt while she was shooting her very first scene as astronomy PhD candidate Kate Dibiasky in Don’t Look Up.
In an upcoming episode of The Last Movie Ever Made, our new podcast that explores the making of writer and director Adam McKay’s latest film, Lawrence recalls her mortification at being asked to rap “Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing ta F*** Wit” out loud and with outsize confidence.
“I feel like Adam has blessed me with something I’ll take with me for the rest of my life,” she says in Episode 2, “Mission Hopefully Possible.” “I’ll never be able to be embarrassed ever again because nothing will ever be that embarrassing.”
Lawrence’s vocal gymnastics take place in the first moments of Don’t Look Up, right before Kate makes the discovery that will change the world forever: a gigantic comet headed straight for Earth. Along with her advisor, Dr. Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio), Kate must try to convince those in charge to act before it’s too late.
Still, it’s not the first time Lawrence has suffered for a song. In 2015, she and Edgar Ramirez serenaded each other with “Something Stupid” in Joy. The year before, she was furiously lip-syncing to “Live and Let Die” in American Hustle. And of course, there’s her famous Hunger Games renditions of “Deep in the Meadow” and “The Hanging Tree,” the latter of which rose to No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
But don’t be fooled. Those weren’t easy experiences for her, either. “She was horrified to sing,” The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1 director Francis Lawrence told The Radio Times in 2014. “She cried a little bit in the morning before [the scene]... She’d probably tell you it was her least favorite day [on set].”
“I sobbed,” Lawrence tells the podcast about singing as Katniss Everdeen. “Like, I showed up to work, [and] my kneecaps were jumping up and down. Like, my lip was trembling, because it's just mortifying. And that was not even rapping.”
Poor JLaw — next time, just ask co-star Timothée Chalamet, aka Lil’ Timmy Tim, for tips.
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