Oscar-winning US actor Jennifer Lawrence described Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza as “no less than a genocide” during a press conference at Spain’s San Sebastian Film Festival on Friday.
“It’s unacceptable,” Lawrence said when asked about the conflict, which has devastated the Palestinian territory for nearly two years.
The 35-year-old star also voiced deep concern about the state of American politics. “I’m terrified for my children, for all of our children,” she said. “This disrespect and the discourse in American politics right now is going to be normal. For the younger generation, it’s going to be totally normal to them that politics has no integrity.”
She warned that ignoring suffering abroad would eventually have consequences at home. “Politicians lie, there’s no empathy, and everybody needs to remember that when you ignore what’s happening on one side of the world, it won’t be long until it’s on your side as well.”
Lawrence was in San Sebastian to receive the prestigious Donostia lifetime achievement award. The festival also screened her latest film Die, My Love, co-produced with Martin Scorsese and directed by Lynne Ramsay. The film explores a couple’s struggles after the birth of their child, offering a different perspective on motherhood.
Reflecting on the role, Lawrence, who has two children, said it resonated personally. “It’s really bizarre, watching the movie now and seeing everything in retrospect, after feeling like I’ve been through that forest,” she noted, recalling her difficult postpartum experience following her second child’s birth.