Jennifer Lawrence’s wage-gap essay is still garnering attention around Hollywood and the latest comments have come from her frequent director, David O. Russell. The filmmaker behind Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and the upcoming Joy said he understands what Lawrence was talking about.
Lawrence’s essay earlier this month revealed that she wasn’t very happy with herself for not pushing harder to make as much as her male co-stars in Hustle. She wrote that she “failed as a negotiator,” adding, “I’m over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likable. F*** that.”
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter on Wednesday, Russell said that he understands where Lawrence is coming from and supports his actors and women who speak out.
“I always support all my actors and all their opinions, and I want them all to get what they need,” Russell said. "I don’t really talk about the minutia of what goes on in my movies, but I believe the spirit of what Jennifer is saying is truthful to her heart. I support her and all women in that.”
Russell continued, “I understand what she’s saying, and I think people in the business do too, and I also understand people saying, 'Well, let’s talk about the minutia of the deal.' It’s hard to make a movie come together with a lot of big stars. American Hustle had a lot of big stars in it. We all contributed to help make it happen.”
The director added that he respects Lawrence for “finding her voice.”
Russell isn’t the only person involved in Hustle to comment on Lawrence’s essay. When Bradley Cooper was asked about it, he said he hadn’t read the essay yet, but praised the way that his Burnt co-star Sienna Miller stuck up for herself.
“One thing I could say is that's interesting because if you think that you only deserve a certain amount and that's not correct, it's about changing that mindset and sticking up for yourself the way that Sienna did,” Cooper told E! News. “So that's a great thing.”
Jeremy Renner had a weird response, telling Business Insider that he doesn’t focus on “contracts and money and all that sort of stuff.”
Lawrence, Russell and Cooper are all back on the big screen on Dec. 25 with Joy.