Film Industry

Session 1
Jennifer Lawrence on unequal pay and the 'very sick' gender dynamic in
Hollywood
Pre-viewing activities
1. You are going to watch a news item about one of the prominent actresses of our
time – Jennifer Lawrence. Before watching the video, tell what you know about this
personality and what your favourite film(s) is (are) where she is starring.
2. Learn the meaning of the following words and word combinations from the
video:
to profile somebody – to give or write a description of somebody that gives the
most important information;
harassment n /'hærəsmənt/ – the act of annoying or worrying somebody by putting
pressure on them or saying or doing unpleasant things to them (racial/sexual
harassment);
outspoken adj – frank in stating one's opinions, especially if they are shocking or
controversial (Ex. He has been outspoken in his criticism), syn. forthright, frank;
pay equity – is equalpay for work of equal value (synonym gender pay gap);
cloak-and-dagger (adj, only before noun) /kləuk ən 'dægə/ – secret and mysterious,
sometimes in a way that people think is unnecessary or ridiculous;
to set in – begin and seem likely to continue;
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) – a department of the US government
which collects information about other countries, often secretly;
operative n /'ɔp(ə)rətiv/ – someone who works for a government agency such as
the intelligence service;
to feature somebody/something – to include a particular person or thing as a
special feature;
all-star adj – including many famous actors, players, etc.;
timely adj – happening at exactly the right time (synonym opportune);
passé adj, French /'pɑːseɪ/ – no longer fashionable;
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 to draw somebody into something/into doing something – to involve somebody or
make somebody take part in something, (although they may not want to take part at
first);
to nourish somebody/something /'neriʃ/ – to keep a person, an animal or a plant
alive and healthy with food, etc.;
taut adj – (of piece of writing, etc.) tightly controlled, with unnecessary parts in it;
gratuitous adj – done without any good reason or purpose and often having
harmful effects;
to call for – need something/ make something necessary;
inherent (in somebody/something) adj  /in'hi(ə)rənt/ – existing in something as a
permanent, essential, or characteristic attribute;
empowering adj – something that makes you more confident and makes you feel
that you are in control of your life;
leaked memo – a document that has been made available to the public without the
permission of the person or organization that wrote it;
to jump-start (a conversation) – to put a lot of energy into starting a process or an
activity or into making it start more quickly;
outpouring n – [usually plural] a strong and sudden expression of feeling (Ex. the
outpouring of support);
to reshape something – to change the shape or structure of something.

While-viewing activities
3. Answer the following questions:
1) How old is the youngest actress ever nominated for Oscar?
2) What are the most popular films featuring Jennifer Lawrence?
3) Why was it so challenging for Jennifer Lawrence to play the role of Dominika
Egorova?
4) Who is the author of the novels, the film is based on?
5) Why does Francis Lawrence deem “Red Sparrow” to be a non-political
movie?
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 6) Who, except for Jennifer Lawrence, are considered to be box-office stars
featured in the movie?
7) What movies helped Lawrence to become an international celebrity and an icon
of a strong female character?
8) Who were Lawrence's male co-stars in the movie "American Hustle"?
9) What events of the actress’s life compelled her to speak out on such issues
as sexuality, harassment, discrimination and pay equity?
10) What problems do young actors face on their way to success?

Post-viewing activities
4. Translate the following sentences:
1. Паралельно з проблемами расової нетерпимості та сексуальних домагань у
Голівуді все більшого резонансу набуває питання недотримання
принципу рівності оплати праці акторів.
2. На перший погляд фільм "Червоний горобець" – це всім відома історія про
протистояння двох світів, американських і російських шпигунів, сповнена
"інтриг та розслідувань".
3. У віці 27 років Дженніфер Лоуренс була чотири рази номінована на
премію "Оскар" та двічі визнана найвисокооплачуванішою акторкою року.
4. Це був своєрідний прояв підтримки людям, які насмілилися розповісти про
свій досвід домагань і насильства, а також крок на шляху до зміни ставлення до
жінок в кіноіндустрії.
5. Головна героїня, роль якої виконує Дженіфер Лоуренс, була примою-
балериною Великого театру до того, як її завербували до складу секретної
служби.
6. Акторка розповідає, що зйомки у фільмі "Червоний горобець" виявилися
неймовірно складними як у фізичному, так і у психологічному плані, адже в
цьому гостросюжетному трилері наявні сцени насильства та катувань.

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 7. Завдяки серії фільмів "Голодні ігри" Дженіфер Лоуренс стала світовою
знаменитістю та канонічним уособленням сильного жіночого персонажу, а всі
наступні фільми за її участі ставали касовими.
8. Недосвідчені актори чіпляються за будь-які ролі, тож просто не мають
можливості сказати "ні" несправедливій оплаті праці; ніхто не збирається вести
з ними перемовини.
9. Кінострічка, що створена на основі романів Джейсона Меттьюса,
колишнього оперативника ЦРУ, здивує вас зірковим складом акторів.
10. Мені довелось відстоювати свої права не лише на знімальному
майданчику, але й в реальному житті, саме тому я відчувала потребу
приєднатись до хвилі підтримки людей, які страждали від насилля і не
побоялись заявити про це.

5. Explain the meaning of the following terms and translate them into Ukrainian:
A-Level (or A-List), antagonist, archetype, best boy, bit part (or bit player), body
double (or double), cameo, enfant terrible, ingenue (the male counterpart is known as
a juvenile), pivotal character, protagonist, lead, hero/heroine, second banana (aka
second fiddle) , stand-in, stunt double(s) (also called stunt performer, stuntman or
stuntwoman).

Reading activity
Jennifer Lawrence’s Oscar-Winning Role Almost Didn’t Happen
In conversation, Lawrence and David O. Russell reveal that she was almost
deemed too young for Silver Linings Playbook – and why the director just couldn’t
bear to kill her character in American Hustle.
Jennifer Lawrence and David O. Russell’s partnership has been one of
Hollywood’s most fruitful actor/director pairings; for films on which they’ve worked
together, they have earned seven Oscar nominations (and one win: Lawrence’s for
Silver Linings Playbook). The frequent collaborators reunited at the Tribeca Film
Festival on Saturday evening for an in-depth talk as part of the festival’s Director

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Series, where they discussed the three movies they have made together – Joy,
American Hustle, and Silver Linings Playbook – as well as how their highly praised
partnership almost didn’t happen. As Russell revealed, Lawrence was the last person
to be cast in both Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle.
“What’s up with that?” Lawrence asked onstage at the BMCC Tribeca Performing
Arts Center in New York. Russell explained that for the first film, “We thought you
were too young, and there were other actresses in front of the line close to getting the
role.”
“Wow, O.K.!” deadpanned Lawrence.
“Like a pass that covers 90 yards, you just changed the game,” he said.
As for American Hustle: Lawrence just finished her commitment to the Hunger
Games series, and wasn’t planning on taking any future projects at the time. But
Russell thought she was perfect for the role of Christian Bale’s wife, and offered her
the role even though she was unavailable. “I feel I would be remiss as your friend if I
did not give you one last chance to say no to that role,” recalled Russell. “I remember
you saying, ‘Do I get to have big hair and long nails and be crazy?’ I said, ‘Yes!’ and
you said, ‘Ok, I’ll do it.’“
“Any young filmmaker, that’s all you have to do,” Lawrence joked. “Give me big
hair and long nails!”
During the hour-long discussion, the two revealed many more never-before-told
facts about their partnership. Russell even broke news by telling the actress, “I’m
writing something for you now,” without giving any further details. Read on for the
five of the biggest surprises from their talk.
Woman in White
Russell first encountered Lawrence at an American Film Institute luncheon, when
Lawrence was just 20 years old – and fresh off her breakthrough, Oscar-nominated
role in the 2010 drama Winter’s Bone. Russell vividly recalled seeing Lawrence
wearing a glamorous white dress. “She looked like she could have been in an Audrey
Hepburn movie,” he said. “Later, I was told that was Jennifer Lawrence – the girl
who had dinner with a stick and ate a squirrel from the forest in Winter’s Bone. I had
a very hard time believing that . . . I remember just looking back at her, and saw her
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talking to Darren Aronofsky at the car park, and we both ended up working with
her.” Lawrence shrugged off his story and said to the audience: “I did a lot of
networking at that lunch!”
An “Energy That Hasn’t Been in Movies”
Lawrence auditioned for Silver Linings Playbook from her parents’ home in
Kentucky via Skype, and Russell was riveted by her “very pure quality.” Her first day
on set as Tiffany Maxwell, a blunt young widow with depression, also left a lasting
impression on the director.
“She showed up, and she was like a raw talent with no neurosis and no self-
consciousness. So she was completely fearless,” said Russell. “She’d come into a
scene like a weather system, and leave me and Bob [De Niro] and Bradley [Cooper]
and Jacki [Weaver] like, ‘Wow!’ I remember feeling, when we shot your
introduction, there was an awareness that we were introducing a new talent, and a
new energy that felt very special. It felt, ‘Who’s this person?’ And you owned your
space.”
Silver Linings Improv
Costar – and Tribeca Film Festival co-founder – Robert De Niro joined Lawrence
and Russell onstage to talk Lawrence’s pivotal scene in Silver Linings Playbook, after
De Niro’s character accuses hers of spoiling the Philadelphia Eagles’ winning streak
because she is romantically involved with his son, Pat (Cooper). It’s a seven-page,
dialogue-heavy scene, and Lawrence admitted she “didn’t memorize my lines” the
night before the shoot. “There’s something about wrapping [a day’s worth of work]
where in my mind I’m never going back to work ever again,” she joked. “I’m like,
‘I’ll watch TV!’ So I didn’t learn my lines [the night before]. I woke up that morning,
and learned it was that scene with Robert De Niro. I remember flipping out, and I
went in and did it, and then I couldn’t do it anymore after that. We had just the one
time.”
American Hustle Surprise
Russell revealed that he originally was going to kill Lawrence’s fiery, alcoholic
American Hustle character, Roslyn, during a climatic scene in the film – but ended up
changing his mind because he thought she was too likable.
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 The scene morphed into a highly dramatic argument between Lawrence and Bale,
ending in Roslyn suggesting that the two end their marriage. “The only way to get rid
of Roslyn is to divorce her,” said Lawrence. “We didn’t need to kill her. It just had to
be her idea.”
Dance Partners
Lawrence and Cooper have appeared in four films together, including the
Depression-era drama Serena. The two first met for the very first time at dance
rehearsals before they started shooting Silver Linings Playbook. The actress practiced
for six weeks, and stated she no longer remembers their routine. “I really wish that
we’d never let ourselves forget it. It would be so cool to whip that out,” she said. “We
did Serena right after Silver Linings, and we were bored on set one day and we did it.
I mean, like, alone. Nobody saw!”
(Retrieved from: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/04/jennifer-
lawrence-david-o-russell-tribeca-silver-linings-playbook).