The actress roundtable: Jennifer Lawrence, Cynthia Erivo and Jessie Buckley want “all the shadowy bits to show”

Six of this year’s leading awards contenders, Jennifer Lawrence, Cynthia Erivo, Jessie Buckley, Amanda Seyfried, Laura Dern and Renate Reinsve, gathered in Los Angeles for an intimate roundtable conversation with The Hollywood Reporter about craft, vulnerability and control in their work.

Despite vastly different films, the actresses found shared ground in emotional exposure and personal stakes. Buckley, reflecting on her approach to performance, said, “I don’t want to wear a mask, I want all the shadowy bits to show.”

Lawrence spoke candidly about the physical and emotional fearlessness demanded by Die My Love, recalling her first day on set with Robert Pattinson: “Our first day was a naked scene where we were attacking each other like tigers. It was kind of nice that it was day one, then it wasn’t hanging over our heads.” On promoting deeply personal work, she added, “We have to turn into a salesman. I get it, it’s a business, but it’s bizarre.”

Erivo reflected on autonomy in the industry, noting, “Our yeses and our nos are our own. The choice to do what I wanted was always there, it’s just louder now.” Seyfried echoed the discomfort that often accompanies growth, admitting during discussion of her musical work, “I am always very uncomfortable dancing.”

Dern emphasized the power of trust and long-term collaboration, saying, “You want people to be your true teammates and partners.” Reinsve, meanwhile, described how creative instincts sharpen over time: “The signals you get from inside yourself about what is right are really small in the beginning and get stronger and stronger.”

Across stories of grief, motherhood, ambition and self-doubt, the actresses agreed on one thing: the work is most meaningful when it allows space for contradiction, discomfort and honesty, even when it leaves nothing hidden.