The world of cinema is abuzz as two major projects featuring Jennifer Lawrence make headlines in early 2026, each marking significant milestones for the Oscar-winning actress and the industry at large. From her deeply personal turn in the psychological thriller Die My Love to her high-profile reunion with Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese in the upcoming adaptation of What Happens at Night, Lawrence’s career continues to evolve in both scope and substance. Alongside her, Canadian actor Debs Howard is having a breakout year, while Mads Mikkelsen’s addition to Scorsese’s latest venture only heightens anticipation for what’s next in film.
For Debs Howard, a Vancouver Island native, the past year has been nothing short of surreal. Reflecting on her journey with Die My Love, Howard told Yahoo Canada that sharing the screen with Jennifer Lawrence, Robert Pattinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Nolte, and LaKeith Stanfield was a “pinch me moment.” The film, directed by Lynne Ramsay and produced by Martin Scorsese, thrust Howard into the international spotlight, culminating in a red-carpet appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. “Going to Cannes was not on my bingo card. And what a gift that was, because it’s something I’ll remember forever,” she said, describing the experience as magical and artistically meaningful.
Howard’s path to the role of Marsha in Die My Love was marked by perseverance and a bit of serendipity. She began with a self-taped audition, advanced to a Zoom callback with casting directors from Canada and the UK, and finally attended an in-person audition with Ramsay in Vancouver. “The more you can just kind of throw it to the universe and just have fun, at least in this industry, I found, for me, that’s kind of when more of the things happen. ... Do your best and see what happens, and don’t get too attached to anything,” Howard shared. She even recounted having to crash on a friend’s couch, reusing the same dress for a callback after unexpectedly being asked to read for a different character. Ramsay’s improvisational approach during the audition, designed to test chemistry with Lawrence, made the experience all the more intense and rewarding.
Die My Love itself is a raw exploration of motherhood, isolation, and mental health. Lawrence’s character, Grace, grapples with postpartum depression, her internal turmoil spiraling into what feels like uncontrollable madness. For Howard, who is a mother herself, the script resonated deeply. “There was one part in the script... after the wedding. [Grace] is walking with her baby, and then she leaves it outside of a camper van, and then walks away. And in the script, runs away and then just stops and kind of breaks down, and then runs back to the baby,” Howard recalled. “It brought up so much for me, because ... I know that feeling of sometimes just wanting to escape your life. Being a mom is so rich and fulfilling and amazing, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel trapped by motherhood sometimes.”
Howard’s career has been steadily building toward this moment. From early days starring in a Tim Hortons commercial for Iced Capps to roles in TV hits like Supernatural, The Good Doctor, iZombie, and The Hunting Party, she has embraced the uncertainty and challenge of acting. “It’s such a crazy career. ... I love it because of the uncertainty of it. I question it every day because it’s so wild, but what keeps bringing me back to it is, it’s in my bones. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do,” she said. This year, Howard will also appear in Private Eyes West Coast alongside Jason Priestley and Cindy Sampson, and in the musical project Mom Com, which humorously explores the realities of motherhood.
While Howard is content to build her career in Canada—valuing proximity to family and the country’s burgeoning film industry—Jennifer Lawrence continues to command attention on the world stage. According to a recent Courier Journal profile, Lawrence’s journey from being discovered at 14 by a talent scout in New York City to becoming one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars is legendary. Her breakout roles in The Hunger Games and X-Men franchises, combined with her Oscar-winning performance in Silver Linings Playbook, established her as a force to be reckoned with. She became the second-youngest winner of the Best Actress Oscar and the youngest performer to receive back-to-back Best Actress nominations by age 22 for Winter’s Bone and Silver Linings Playbook.
Lawrence’s career is also marked by a commitment to female-driven narratives. In 2018, she co-founded the production company Excellent Cadaver to champion such stories, backing projects like the documentaries Bread and Roses and Zurawski v Texas, as well as the comedy No Hard Feelings. Her personal life, too, has seen significant milestones. She and her husband, art gallery director Cooke Maroney, now have two sons, the first named Cy after painter Cy Twombly, and a second born in early 2025. Lawrence has spoken openly about her desire to protect her children’s privacy, telling Vanity Fair she wants to shield them from the public eye as much as possible.
After a brief hiatus following X-Men: Dark Phoenix and No Hard Feelings, Lawrence returned to the screen in Die My Love, earning a 2026 Golden Globe nomination for her performance alongside Robert Pattinson. But it’s her next project that’s generating even more excitement. As reported by Deadline on February 20, 2026, Lawrence is set to star with Leonardo DiCaprio and Mads Mikkelsen in Martin Scorsese’s adaptation of Peter Cameron’s novel What Happens at Night. Mikkelsen takes on the role of Brother Emmanuel, joining a core cast that promises to deliver a tense, atmospheric drama.
What Happens at Night centers on an American couple who travel to a wintry European city to adopt a child, only to find themselves ensnared in the eerie atmosphere of a peculiar hotel where nothing is quite as it seems. The film delves into themes of loneliness, doubt, and the psychological strain that can fracture even the strongest relationships. The reunion of Scorsese and DiCaprio, who have collaborated on numerous acclaimed films, is a major draw for cinephiles, while Lawrence’s involvement adds further star power. With production details still under wraps, the project has quickly become one of the most anticipated films in development.
For Lawrence, the journey from a Kentucky teenager discovered by chance to a global superstar with a hand in shaping the stories she tells is a testament to talent, perseverance, and a willingness to take risks. Whether she’s portraying the harrowing realities of postpartum depression or navigating the shadowy corridors of Scorsese’s latest psychological thriller, Lawrence continues to redefine what it means to be a leading actress in Hollywood. And with rising talents like Debs Howard making their mark alongside her, the future of film looks as compelling as ever.
As the industry looks ahead to awards season and new releases, the intersection of personal storytelling, star power, and bold filmmaking is on full display—reminding audiences that, sometimes, the most unforgettable moments in cinema are born from the unexpected.