Jennifer Lawrence held her head high at the 76th Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2023, giving no indication that anything was amiss. The Oscar-winning actress arrived to the premiere of Anatomie d'une Chute in a bright red gown. The strapless gown blended into the red carpet, even though Jennifer’s train and matching scarf added dramatic flair. Finishing the look with red lipstick, Jennifer smiled for the cameras as she made her way into the venue.
J-Law is widely considered to be one of the most successful actresses in Hollywood, so it’s no surprise to see her turn heads at the annual Cannes festival. But what was surprising were Quentin Tarantino’s comments about being grateful for not casting the actress in one of his movies.
Despite Her Success, Jennifer Doesn’t Get Every Role
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Quentin recalled how he approached Jennifer to star in his 2015 film The Hateful Eight. Ultimately, the director chose not to cast her when it became clear Jennifer’s busy schedule would’ve interfered with filming.
“I’m a huge Jennifer Lawrence fan,” he explained. “And I can see her doing a good job with this role, so we went to talk about it and everything. She was just doing me a courtesy to see me, I think. She was doing Joy. She had to do all this publicity on the Hunger Games movies.” Quentin continued, “There was just no […] way in the world that she was available.”
Ultimately, the role went to Jennifer Jason Leigh, which Quentin says was the right call. “Having said that, I’m glad I didn’t cast somebody that young,” he added to Entertainment Weekly. “I think I absolutely positively made the right choice, as far as the ages of the characters.”
Quentin Has Refused To Work With J-Law Multiple Times
Interestingly, this wasn’t the only opportunity Jennifer Lawrence had to work with Quentin Tarantino. The actress reportedly did a read for his 2019 film Once Upon a Time…In Hollywood, which ended up starring Margot Robbie, Brad Pitt, and Leonardo DiCaprio, among a star-studded cast.
Quentin made the revelation in 2021 during an episode of the WTF Podcast, though he didin’t give a specific reason as to why Jennifer ultimately wasn’t cast.
"Early on, in the pre-production of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, I flirted around with the idea of ... Jennifer Lawrence playing Squeaky," he explained. "She came down to the house to read the script, 'cause I wasn't letting it out. So she came down to the house and I gave her the script and said, 'Go in my living room or go outside by the pool and read it.'"
"She read it, and afterward, we talked about it a little bit. She was interested in doing it, but something didn't work out," Quentin went on. Though they didn’t work together, Quentin only had nice things to say about the Oscar-winning actress, adding, “[She’s] a very nice person, and I respect her as an actress."
Jennifer may not have been attending the Cannes premiere of one of her movies, but with her reputation and acting chops, she likely has many more major movies in her future. But don’t count on them to be directed by Quentin Tarantino.