"I was sleeping with the director" - When Jennifer Lawrence jokingly spoke about not understanding the plot of Mother!

Darren Aronofsky's psychological horror film Mother! is arguably one of the most confounding films of his career. It marked the first collaboration between him and actress Jennifer Lawrence, who plays the film's titular character.

Moreover, Lawrence got romantically involved with Aronofsky, who is 20 years her senior, sometime during the film's shooting. According to People Magazine, the couple began dating in September 2016 and called it quits a little over a year later in November 2017.

On June 26, 2023, the Oscar-winning actress appeared on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen. When the host asked her to rate her understanding of Mother! "on a scale of 1 to totally confused," Lawrence replied:

"Well, I was sleeping with the director, so I had CliffsNotes. So … 5? Or a 4. But if anybody needs any tips on understanding their films, you know what to do!"

When the host jokingly quipped, "F*** the director?," she responded with, "Yeah!"

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What is the story of Mother!?

In the film, Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem play the married couple, Mother and Him respectively, living a quiet life in a countryside home. One day, they are visited by man (Ed Harris) and woman (Michelle Pfeiffer), followed by their two sons - Domhnall Gleeson (older brother) and Brian Gleeson (younger brother).

Chaos ensues as more people turn up at the house and cause irreparable damage, leading to the house eventually burning down. However, it is rebuilt into a new home with a new Mother and Him, thus continuing the cycle.

The film also stars Kristen Wiig, Patricia Summersett, Arthur Holden, Chris Gartin, and Emily Hampshire, among many others.

Written and directed by Aronofsky, Mother! was released in the United States on September 15, 2017. The film's deep allegory and symbolisms were appreciated by critics, but the movie was panned by audiences, who gave it an 'F' grade on CinemaScore.

It earned $44.5 million at the box office against a budget of $30 million, as per Box Office Mojo.

The film's seemingly confusing narrative was one of the biggest reasons for its poor performance at the box office. While speaking to Deadline in December 2017, Jennifer Lawrence explained that Mother! is a story about the "creation and decimation of the universe."

"The most important thing to know about this film before seeing it is that it’s all allegory. It’s all metaphor that’s tied to this narrative. It’s the creation and decimation of the universe, including Biblical themes and creation of religion."

She continued:

"I represent Mother Earth, and what I have is Baby Jesus - if we guess the religion. I play this woman who has built this home from the ground up. I’m in a relationship with an artist who is obsessed with needing appreciation from me first, and then I’m not enough."

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The Mother! actress is now married to Cooke Maroney

Jennifer Lawrence and Cooke Maroney as seen in April 2023 (Image via Getty)

A few months after her split from Aronofsky, The Hunger Games star met the art gallery director Cooke Maroney in 2018. The couple got engaged in February 2019 and tied the knot on October 19, 2019, at Rhode Island's stately mansion, Belcourt of Newport.

Jennifer gave birth to the couple's first child, son Cy, in February 2022. The actress told Vogue in September 2022 that her son is named after the postwar American painter and one of her husband's favorite artists, Cy Twombly.

In October 2024, Lawrence's representative confirmed that the couple is looking forward to welcoming their second child in 2025.

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Stay tuned for the latest news and updates about films like Mother!