Audiences are in for a wild, raunchy ride in “No Hard Feelings” following the adventures of Maddie, portrayed by the talented Jennifer Lawrence.
From the very start, it’s evident that Maddie’s life is anything but ordinary. Her car being towed by a former fling and a naked Italian boy unexpectedly emerging from her front door are just the tip of the iceberg.
Left without transportation and on the verge of losing her childhood home, Maddie decides to embark on an odd adventure in the hopes she’ll get her car, and home back. She finds herself hired as the temporary girlfriend of Percy, a socially awkward 19-year-old played by Andrew Barth Feldman. But this unconventional arrangement isn’t by choice. Percy’s parents, portrayed by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti, are concerned about their son’s reserved nature and employ Maddie to help him break out of his shell. It’s evident that Percy’s unconventional upbringing has left him clueless when it comes to relationships. The Knockturnal got a chance to catch up with Lawrence and Barth-Feldman in an exclusive sit down interview.
The Knockturnal: Hi Jennifer! Hi Andrew! How are you both?
Jennifer and Andrew: Great. How Are you doing??
The Knockturnal: Wonderful. Wonderful. First of all, I loved the movie so much. I feel like I was obnoxiously laughing throughout the , the entire movie. It was so funny.
Both: Thank You, Thank you!
The Knockturnal: Yes. So, what was one of your favorite scenes to film that would encapsulate the entire movie?
Jennifer: Oh, God. That would encapsulate the entire movie? Um, maybe the scene where we go, like, on our prom dinner, because I get to hear Andrew’s amazing talent. He has the most beautiful voice I’ve ever heard, and I got to hear it all day and we had so much dialogue that we couldn’t make it through cause we were laughing so hard.
Andrew: I think that scene is also a microcosm of this character’s whole, these characters hold journey too, like pulling each other out into becoming more vulnerable people, but then that, that, that, that may or may not end up hurting them a little bit.
Jennifer: Nice.
Andrew: Thank you.
Jennifer: Wow. That’s…that’s really, that’s why I picked it.
The Knockturnal: The age gap between Maddie and Percy is a very important aspect in the movie and in their relationship. How did you both navigate that to really display the connection and make it seem relatable?
Andrew: Yeah. I mean, Percy’s an adult, you know, so it was never something that was uncomfortable to the point of it being unacceptable. And in fact, we connected so deeply in a, in a very real life way that it was rarely ever I think thought of about in the movie.
Jennifer: I mean, the inappropriateness made us laugh. Yeah. And we thought it was hilarious. But yeah, again, he was an adult and I don’t know, I just, I learned so much from Andrew and just enjoyed our real relationship so much.
The Knockturnal: Nice. Nice. What advice would you give your character about dating?
Andrew: Oh God. Loosen up friend. Geez.
Jennifer: Tighten up friend!
Andrew: Yeah. Yeah, oh God. I think for both of them, just like, it’s gonna be all right.
Jennifer: Yeah, It’s gonna be alright. Give, give, give a nice guy a chance, I guess would be my advice.
The Knockturnal: Oh, that’s sweet. I, okay. I like that. I like that. There were some pretty awkward dates in the movie. Could you talk about maybe some of your personal awkward dates? Have you ever been on an awkward date and how did you navigate that?
Andrew: I don’t think I’ve ever in my life had the confidence to go on a date with somebody that I thought there was a chance of it being awkward.
Jennifer: I went on a date once. We saw Burn After Reading and the scene where Brad Pitt gets his head shot off, like, the closet opens and Brad Pitt begins to say like, “hi, how are you?” but the timing of the gun kind of exploding his head cracked me up so much and I couldn’t stop laughing. And the next scene went by, and the next scene went by, and then the next one and I was still dying laughing! And I could tell it just annoyed him.
The Knockturnal: That’s pretty funny. What do you want the audiences to take away from watching this movie?
Jennifer: I just want them to laugh their asses off and have a really good time.
Andrew: Yeah. If anything, the movie is a cautionary tale of what probably not to do. These ideas are not great. Yeah.
Jennifer: Done by a professional.
Andrew: Yeah. Don’t try this at home. But, I think we deserve, culturally, to go to a place and have a good time there.
The Knockturnal: It was, it was definitely a funny movie and I appreciate you so much for taking this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Both: Thank you.
The film marks Lawrence’s return to the big screen after a short two year hiatus and displays her humor in a whole new light. Fans can mark their calendars for the theatrical release of “No Hard Feelings” on June 23.
