warning Hi, we've moved to USCANNENBERGMEDIA.COM. Visit us there!

Neon Tommy - Annenberg digital news

David O. Russell: Jennifer Lawrence's 'Hunger Games' Contract Akin To Slavery

Lilian Min |
January 14, 2014 | 11:47 a.m. PST

Music Editor

David O. Russell's in hot water again for flippant comments about star Jennifer Lawrence's acting commitments. (via behindtheillusion/Tumblr)
David O. Russell's in hot water again for flippant comments about star Jennifer Lawrence's acting commitments. (via behindtheillusion/Tumblr)
"American Hustle" director David O. Russell is no stranger to controversy, and the application of that phrase is, in this case, not meant as a backhanded "bad boy" compliment.

While he currently enjoys Hollywood accolades for recent films "The Fighter," "Silver Linings Playbook," and this year's awards season juggernaut "Hustle," Russell has a reputation for being a difficult director to please, and has fallen out (and then smoothed things over) (sometimes?) with actors like Lily Tomlin, George Clooney, and Mark Wahlberg.

Though Russell these days brushes off criticism re: his treatment of actors, it must be said that his current actor collaborator/ingenue, Jennifer Lawrence, has brought him a certain amount of luck (read: all of the awards), and the two have a working relationship which is, at this point, beginning to take on the rapport of famous director/actor collaborators like Scorsese/DiCaprio or Anderson/Murray/Schwartzman. 

So it's understandable that the man is protective of the 23-year-old Lawrence, who almost missed the awards circuit last season because of illness. But his latest remarks about the actress, who picked up a Golden Globe this past Sunday for her supporting role in "Hustle,"" toe the line between timely yet edgy humor and bad taste.

In a series of comments he made at an event last Friday in Los Angeles, he expressed concern over Lawrence's rigid "Hunger Games" shooting and promotion schedule, comparing the franchise to a "hamster wheel." But what he's really in hot water for is the following comment:

"I’ll tell you what it is about that girl — talk about 12 years of slavery, that’s what the franchise is. And I’m going to get in so much trouble for saying that."

Oh no, someone call the PC speech police! But there's a real reason to have beef with Russell over his choice of joke. Like years before, this year's Globes, which generally closely mirrors other major awards presentations, celebrated a shortlist of mostly white winners. In fact, the frontrunners in Lawrence's eventual winning category, Best Supporting Actress, were Lawrence and Lupita Nyong'o for "12 Years A Slave," the only non-white nominee in all of the motion picture actress categories.

Like "Hustle," "12 Years" is an awards season favorite, but unlike most of the other films receiving critical acclaim, it's a film with black leads and which tells a distinctly black narrative. The film also stands on its own legs as a story, and eventually won the biggest award of the night -- its only win.

And sure, it would be one thing if "12 Years" wasn't the only story told through the voice of non-white people, but again, like years before, and like pretty much every major awards show in the industry, only one film with POC leads could reign supreme. In addition to the extreme "selectiveness" of the industry in regards to non-white productions and performances, "12 Years" happens to be about slavery in the U.S., which as a practice and a legacy wasn't soooooo bad if you're Phil Robertson or his ilk.

The fact that Russell could be so snootily self-aware about comparing a multimillion dollar contract to the brutal forced servitude of an entire race of people is, for lack of a better word, bullshit.

It is entirely possible to find comedy in tragic history, just as it is completely legitimate to worry about someone's physical, mental and emotional health in the face of overwhelming fame and attention. But knowingly picking a cheap joke like that, even at a professional competitor, is at "best," lazy, and at worst, troublingly indicative of our society's general inability to understand that humor isn't a cover-all for willfully congratulatory ignorance.

And like a self-fulfilling prophecy, Russell has since apologized for his comments, saying:

"Clearly, I used a stupid analogy in a poor attempt at humor. I realized it the minute I said it and I am truly sorry."

That's the first step. Now, about the continued adoration of Woody Allen...

Reach Music Editor Lilian Min here; follow her on Twitter here and on Google+ here.



 

Buzz

Craig Gillespie directed this true story about "the most daring rescue mission in the history of the U.S. Coast Guard.”

Watch USC Annenberg Media's live State of the Union recap and analysis here.