Sony’s R-rated comedy No Hard Feelings is now in production, and the cast is being filled out in anticipation of a summer release. Laura Benanti, the winner of the Tony Award, has been cast as Jennifer Lawrence’s employer and Andrew Barth Feldman’s mum, joining the already announced Andrew Barth Feldman and Jennifer Lawrence. Benanti plays a well-off mother who hires a slacker (Lawrence) to entertain her shy kid (Feldman). With Lawrence at the helm, we can expect the story to revolve mostly around her role as the personal entertainer to Feldman’s character.
The screenplay that the actors will be performing was written by Gene Stupnitsky and John Phillips, two well-known personalities in the comedy genre who have written scripts for such films as Good Boys, Dirty Grandpa, and Bad Teacher, among many others. Benanti has had the most success in the theatre, but she has proven time and again that she is a talented actor in a variety of mediums.
Benanti has demonstrated her comedic prowess on multiple occasions, from her appearances on Stephen Colbert’s late-night talk show (where she does an impression of First Lady Melania Trump) to her role as Edie Randall in the comedy The Detour to her improvised special Homeschool Musical: Class of 2020. Five times Lauren Benanti has been nominated for a Tony Award, and in 2008, for her performance as Louise in the Broadway production of Gypsy, she won the award for Best Featured Actress in a Musical. She has been nominated for a Tony Award in the category of Best Actress in a Musical on four separate occasions: for Swing! (2000), Into the Woods (2002), Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (2011), and most recently She Loves Me (2016).
She is still active on stage, and audiences last saw her as Eliza Doolittle in Lincoln Center’s My Fair Lady. Recently, Benanti has been increasingly active in cinema, with roles in films including Worth (2020), Tick, Tick… Boom! (2021), and Here Today (2020) on Netflix (2021). In addition to Younger and Go On and Starved, her list of television credits also includes Supergirl, Nashville, and The Good Wife. Benanti has a recurring part in season two of the HBO historical drama The Gilded Age and just starred in Amy Schumer’s Life & Beth.
Lawrence, Alex Saks, Marc Provissiero, Naomi Odenkirk, and Justine Ciarrochi are the film’s producers. Phillips will take on the role of executive producer, while Stupnitsky will direct.
On June 16, 2023, you’ll be able to see No Hard Feelings in a theatre near you.