Jennifer Lawrence explains why family 'encouraged me not to' make Taliban doc 'Bread and Roses'

Jennifer Lawrence explains why she felt impelled to make the Taliban-focused documentary Bread and Roses, despite her family's advice to avoid it.

Jennifer Lawrence.

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The documentary, which premieres Friday on Apple TV+, recounts Afghanistan's women's lives under the Taliban after they gained control of Kabul in August 2021. Sahra Mani, the film's director, recently told CBS Mornings that the Taliban's control on Afghan women is so harsh that they are unable to work, sing, perform music, go to a restaurant, purchase food, or stroll down the street without a chaperone.

"My first reaction when watching that [Taliban takeover] 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," Lawrence said of her decision to be a part of the documentary, later adding, "I can't imagine not being able to take a taxi or listen to music. I can't fathom if even the sound of my voice was criminal."

Given the subject matter, the Oscar winner stated that "family and friends definitely encouraged me not to [produce the film]." "It is risky. Of course it is," she added. "But there's 20 million women whose lives are in danger."

The No Hard Feelings actress has also had to deal with trolls who think she is not educated enough to discuss politics or the sensitive subject matter of the Taliban.

"[Trolls] always say different things," Lawrence explained. "In a 60 Minutes interview, I explained that I dropped out of middle school, thus I am not formally educated. So, I believe a popular one, particularly with this subject, is 'Why is someone without an education attempting to talk about politics?' To that, I respond, "It's not political; it's people's lives."

She continued, "It's political in the sense that you should urge your congresspeople and become active to hold our government responsible. The UN can then officially acknowledge gender apartheid. But I don't consider it political. I also have a filmmaking education. I'm trained at telling stories."