Jennifer Lawrence spoke out on the ongoing conflict in Gaza during a press conference at the San Sebastian Film Festival on Friday, calling the situation “no less than a genocide”.
The Oscar-winning actress, attending the festival to promote her new film Die My Love and accept the festival’s Donostia Award, said, “I’m terrified and it’s mortifying. What’s happening is no less than a genocide and it’s unacceptable. I’m terrified for my children, for all of our children”.
Commenting on domestic American politics, Lawrence expressed dismay at the current state of public discourse. “It makes me so sad that the current disrespect and discourse is going to be the status quo for children growing up in the U.S. today,” she said.
“The kids who are voting right now at 18, it’s going to be totally normal to them that politics has no integrity. Politicians lie, there is no empathy. And everybody needs to remember that when you ignore what’s happening on one side of the world, it won’t be long until it’s on your side as well.”
The Hunger Games actress stressed that artists should not be expected to resolve global crises. “I wish that there was something I could say, something that I could do to fix this extremely complex and disgraceful situation. It breaks my heart,” Lawrence said. “But the reality is, our fear in speaking too much or answering too many of these questions is that my words will just be used to add more fire and rhetoric to something that is in the hands of our elected officials.”
“I just want people to stay focused on who is responsible and the things that they can do and when they need to show up and vote, and not let the actors and the artists who are trying to express freedom of art, freedom of speech take the heat for the individuals that are actually responsible,” she added.
Lawrence also underlined the importance of creative platforms amid political divisions. “America’s freedom of speech and freedom of expression is under attack,” she said. “We can see each other’s stories and connect and learn from each other, and more importantly realize that we are all connected and we all matter and deserve empathy and freedom.”
Die My Love, directed by Lynne Ramsay and co-starring Robert Pattinson, follows Grace (Lawrence), a mother grappling with deteriorating mental health and its impact on her marriage. The film premiered at Cannes in May, where it drew a six-minute standing ovation.