Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky Make Their First Red Carpet Appearance Together

Michelle Pfeiffer and Javier Bardem join them for a mother! photo call at the Venice Film Festival

By Zach Johnson Sep 05, 2017 3:55 PMTags

Jennifer Lawrence and Darren Aronofsky's red carpet debut was an understated affair.

In an attempt to downplay the attention on their romance, the actress and the mother! director decided against posing as a couple at the Venice Film Festival Tuesday. Instead, Michelle Pfeiffer acted as a buffer between them, with Javier Bardem joining all three on the press line. After their photo call ended, Aronofsky, Bardem, Lawrence and Pfeiffer attended the premiere.

(Lawrence donned a dress from Giambattista Valli's Resort 2018 collection, while Pfeiffer—styled by Samantha McMille—modeled a Dolce & Gabbana dress and Broken English jewelry.)

Aronofsky's psychological horror film, which he wrote, follows a young woman (Lawrence) whose peaceful life with her husband (Bardem) at their home is disrupted by a cryptic couple (Ed Harris and Pfeiffer). The film's A-list cast also includes Domhnall Gleeson and Kristen Wiig.

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2017 Venice Film Festival: Star Sightings
Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images

Lawrence, 26, was drawn to Aronofsky, 48, during the film's production. "We had energy," she recalled in Vogue's September issue. "I had energy for him. I don't know how he felt about me." Though she's rarely spoken about her personal relationship with the director, Lawrence said, "I've been in relationships before where I am just confused, and I'm never confused with him."

The actress is especially excited for fans to see mother! (in theaters Sept. 15), as she believes it's one of Aronofsky's best films to date. "When I saw the movie, I was reminded all over again how brilliant he is," she gushed. "For the past year, I've been dealing with him as just a human."

If early reviews are any indication, mother! will be polarizing. The Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy, for example, described the movie as "a very Rosemary's Baby-like intimate horror tale that definitely grabs your attention and eventually soars well over the top to make the bold concluding statement that, for some creators, art is more important than life." The Telegraph's Robbie Collin, meanwhile, called it "a shocking, surrealist, symphonically berserk feast of filth."

After mother! was screened at the Venice Film Festival, it received both boos and rave reviews.