Renowned actress Jennifer Lawrence revealed her amusement upon discovering the real-life Craigslist ad that served as the inspiration for her upcoming raunchy comedy film, “No Hard Feelings.” The movie, directed by Lawrence’s close friend Gene Stupnitsky, features the Oscar-winning actor as a struggling Uber driver from Montauk who agrees to a date and seduce an awkward 19-year-old (played by Andrew Barth Feldman) in response to the Craigslist ad. The teenager’s overprotective parents fear he will go off to college as a virgin.
During CinemaCon last month, Stupnitsky and Lawrence hinted that “No Hard Feelings” was based on an actual Craigslist ad. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the director shared that the ad was sent to him by the film’s producers, Marc Provissiero and Naomi Odenkirk.
“After reading it, I thought, ‘This is insane. Who is the woman who would answer this ad?'” Stupnitsky expressed. “And then it hit me, ‘Oh, this would be a perfect role for my friend Jennifer Lawrence.'”
Lawrence chimed in, saying, “Gene read the Craigslist ad to me, and I couldn’t stop laughing. I found it hilarious, even though there wasn’t a script or anything at that point. I just thought he had a really funny concept. But a couple of years later, he handed me the funniest script I’ve ever read.”
During the EW interview, Lawrence also acknowledged the challenges of releasing a film in theaters in the current landscape. She described it as a test that is done in the public eye, with the audience determining the film’s success. However, she expressed confidence in the movie, stating, “I feel we’re putting our best foot forward.”
As an experienced filmmaker in the R-rated comedy genre, Stupnitsky previously directed the 2019 comedy “Good Boys,” a coming-of-age film featuring Jacob Tremblay. He also worked as a co-writer on the films “Bad Teacher” (2011) and “Year One” (2009).
