“Like a Blister, So Sensitive”: Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson on Parenthood and the Raw Power Behind Die, My Love

CANNES, France — Die, My Love, the searing new film by Lynne Ramsay, made its world premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival with a thunderous reception—and its stars Jennifer Lawrence and Robert Pattinson were just as raw and revealing as the film itself during a candid press conference on May 18.

At the center of Ramsay’s latest is a portrait of a woman battling psychosis in a desolate rural American outpost, played with harrowing intensity by Lawrence. Alongside her is Pattinson as the deeply conflicted husband, with LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte rounding out the haunting ensemble. But beyond the chilling narrative, it was parenthood—its bruising honesty, beauty, and transformative power—that dominated the actors’ reflections on their performances.

“Having children changes everything,” said Lawrence, 33, who welcomed her first child in 2022. “It changes your whole life—it’s brutal and incredible.” With striking vulnerability, she described how motherhood has deepened her emotional palette. “I didn’t know I could feel so much. My job has a lot to do with emotion, and they’ve opened up the world to me. It’s almost like feeling like a blister—so sensitive. They’ve changed me creatively. I highly recommend having kids if you want to be an actor.”

Her co-star, 38-year-old Pattinson, echoed the sentiment with a grin and a slight dose of self-deprecating humor. “Having a baby gives you the biggest trove of energy and inspiration,” he offered—prompting Lawrence to interrupt, laughing, “You get energy?!”

“This question is impossible for a guy to answer correctly,” Pattinson quipped. “What Jennifer said—I’m here just to support!” He continued more seriously, “It’s reinvigorated the way I approach work. You’re a completely different person the next day.”

While the film’s emotional core is heavy, Lawrence noted that the shoot didn’t shy away from discomfort—starting with a nude scene on day one. “The day before our first day, Lynne showed Rob and I a scene from If…. where the actors are attacking each other like tigers,” she recalled. “And she said, ‘And you’ll do it naked, yeah?’ That was the first day.” Her recounting drew laughs, but it underscored Ramsay’s intense, immersive approach to filmmaking.

The British auteur, making her fourth appearance in the Cannes Official Selection, was in fine form as well, joking with photographers—“I used to be a photographer. Who’s got the nicest camera?”—before teasing future plans for Sissy Spacek. “She always plays parts with such love, but we’re planning to make a movie where she’s a serial killer next,” Ramsay said with a grin.

Die, My Love marks another uncompromising turn from Ramsay, whose previous works (We Need to Talk About Kevin, You Were Never Really Here) similarly explored the depths of the human psyche. But with Lawrence and Pattinson channeling the rawness of parenthood into their craft, this may be her most emotionally blistering film yet—a story born not just from imagination, but from life lived deeply.

As Lawrence summed up: “They’ve changed my life for the best. And they’ve changed me creatively.” With Die, My Love, that change is felt in every frame.