“I Wouldn’t Be Able To Do It Again”: Jennifer Lawrence Talks Making ‘mother!’

The unpacking of “mother!” continues, as fans and foes continue to discuss the film’s biblical and environmental themes. Darren Aronofsky‘s movie is a molotov cocktail to the standard fare at the multiplex, and an undeniably intense cinematic experience, no matter where you opinion ultimately falls on the picture. And as you might guess, making it was no walk in the park, and for Jennifer Lawrence, once was enough.

“I don’t regret it. I’m happy I did it. If I had to do it again? If there was a ‘mother!’ sequel? [Laughs] No. I wouldn’t be able to do it again. I did it once and I gave it my all,” he told EW.

There are no shortage of truly eye-popping moments, particularly in the back-end of the movie, and there was one scene in particular that left the actress literally breathless — and the exacting director made her do it again.

“There’s one scene that nobody should ever feel. And that’s what I said to Darren when he wanted to do it again. I was in the medical unit with oxygen up my nose and he’s like, ‘It was out of focus, we gotta do it again.’ I was like, you are making me go to a place that you have never been. I just wanted to get out and finish it. It’s scary not being able to control yourself — I’ve recently had problems with plane anxiety and it’s really similar. I’m not afraid of the airplane, I’m afraid of me on the airplane and losing control of myself,” Lawrence said.

For all the secrecy leading up to the release of the movie, the actress says she actually wanted to prime audiences for what they were going to experience, feeling it might’ve been good to meet them halfway.

“I got [the themes] immediately but that was because before he had sent me the script he had come to me and told me these ideas that he had for an allegory and the metaphors he wanted to work with. I was in. It was the most unique sounding movie I’d ever heard, and incredibly brave,” she explained. “I feel like there’s different schools of thought on this movie. Some think: don’t tell anyone anything, let them figure it out on their own. I feel like it’s better to know and understand the metaphor and allegories because then you know what you are looking at. I’ve been spilling the themes and metaphors all over town!”

There’s definitely lots to discuss when it comes to “mother!” and if you want even more, check out the director and cast Q&As from the Toronto International Film Festival below.