Jennifer Lawrence defends her Taliban doc on Afghan women: 'It's not political, it's people's lives'
Lawrence produced an upcoming documentary following women in Afghanistan after the fall of Kabul in 2021
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Actress Jennifer Lawrence revealed how she defied both friends and critics to produce her new documentary on women in Afghanistan.
The Oscar-winning actress recently promoted the film "Bread & Roses," which debuted at the Cannes Film Festival last year and is set to premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday. The documentary follows three women living in Afghanistan following the Taliban’s rise in 2021.
On "CBS Mornings" Tuesday, Lawrence described receiving pushback from her friends and family over promoting a film with a dangerous subject.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"My family and friends definitely encouraged me not to [produce the film]… It’s dangerous. Of course it is. But there are 20 million women whose lives are in danger," Lawrence said.
"Bread & Roses" focuses on women living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi, File)
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She also called out "trolls" who attack her for "trying to talk about politics."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"They always say different things," Lawrence said. "I did a ’60 Minutes’ interview once where I explained that I dropped out of middle school, so I technically am not educated. I think a common one with this subject is ‘why is someone without an education trying to talk about politics?’ To that I say it’s not political, it’s peoples' lives," Lawrence said. "It’s political in the sense that you should push your congresspeople, and you should get involved to make our government more accountable. Then the UN can recognize gender apartheid. I don’t find it political. I am educated in filmmaking. I am educated in telling stories."
Lawrence explained how she became involved with this project as far back as 2021 after seeing how women were oppressed in the country.
Jennifer Lawrence revealed her family and friends discouraged her from wanting to produce the film. (Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)
"My first reaction when watching that was to do what the Taliban did not want us to do, which was to give access and facilities to the people on the ground to capture what was happening on the ground in real time. Because obviously, the Taliban flourishes in secrecy," Lawrence said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}She added, "I can’t imagine not being able to take a taxi or not being able to listen to music. I can’t imagine if just the sound of my voice was illegal."
Another film Lawrence’s production company is set to release in 2024 is a documentary called "Zurawski v Texas." This documentary will shed light on abortion providers who sued the state of Texas in 2023 and is reportedly co-produced with Hillary and Chelsea Clinton.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Lawrence's production company is also producing a film focused on abortion providers who sued the state of Texas in 2023. (Photo by Rodin Eckenroth/WireImage)
People Magazine reported in September on how Lawrence hopes these film projects can have a political impact, "Lawrence hopes both films inspire audiences to contact their leaders, donate, volunteer — and most of all, she says, exercise their civic duty. ‘Take action by voting,’ she says. ‘The most important thing that we can do right now is just vote.’"
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Fox News' Alexander Hall contributed to this report.