Bill Hader is a talented comedian, and he also just so happens to be the mind behind the hit HBO series Barry. The show ended last month with a "radical" fourth season that featured an explosive ending many didn't see coming. Throughout the series, the comedic tone of the show evolved into something much darker, allowing the creative team to experiment with visuals and narrative. With this tone shift, a number of previously established concepts were ultimately tossed out. One of the ideas that was heavily considered was a cameo from Jennifer Lawrence, which was unfortunately never meant to be it would seem.
What The Jennifer Lawrence Cameo Would Have Been
Barry's darkened tone was fully realized in Season 4. For instance, one scene in particular features Sally, the titular character's love interest, being followed and attacked in her home during the sixth episode. The scene, which was helmed by Bill Hader, is chilling and subsequently prompted audiences to rally for the SNL alum to direct a horror movie. However, this wasn’t always the plan for the sequence, as Hader recently told Sean Fennessey of The Prestige TV Podcast. He originally intended for the harrowing moment to feature a daydream scene featuring Jennifer Lawrence. The actor/producer/director explained the wild idea, saying:
Well initially the scene was Sally having a... I won’t walk you through the whole thing, but it was basically where she has a daydream of her going to LA with John and her auditioning to play herself in the movie and they say we can’t give it to you because we already gave it to Jennifer Lawrence. And then she goes to a party, and it’s a big Hollywood party, and all the acting class is there and they’re all so excited to see her and Natalie sees her and apologizes for everything she did to her. And then Jennifer Lawrence is there and Jennifer Lawrence says, ‘You should play yourself.' And then it was gonna be done in a way where you think this is actually happening ,and then you cut back to her in the house and you realize ‘Oh, she’s been daydreaming this’.
This is a great idea, with a super interesting concept. I, like many fans, missed the acting classes from the first two seasons and would’ve loved to see them return. Also, Jennifer Lawrence has a history of participating in satirical and dramatic projects, with her casting in Adam McKay's Don't Look Up being just one example. So I bet she would’ve fit right in with the overall tone of the show. Bill Hader didn’t divulge whether Lawrence had officially signed on to do the cameo, though he did reveal in the interview that this was the plan for a while. So there's a chance he may have reached out. Sarah Goldberg, who plays Sally, is a great actress, and I would’ve loved to have seen them play opposite of each other.
Why Bill Hader Decided Not To Move Forward With The Plan
However epic this crossover could’ve been, it wasn’t meant to be. The Trainwreck alum explained that once the Barry team started production on the final season and really started to dig into character motivations, the scene no longer made sense for Sally:
I think it was [writer] Liz Sarnoff who said [that] It feels like her issue isn’t about ‘I wanna be a star’ or anything, it’s about feeling safe with Barry and I think… It's less about careerism and more about feeling safe with Barry. That should be what takes her to LA and so I said ‘okay’ and went and wrote the sequence that you see.
While the new scene didn’t feature JLaw, it was still pretty incredible and surely made a lot more sense for the character. Sally being terrorized in her own house and haunted by the man she killed was compelling. It also allowed both Sarah Goldberg and Bill Hader to truly shine in their respective roles. And ultimately, it was one of the most-discussed moments of the season so, in the end, it was probably the right call. Hopefully, we will get to see a Hader/Jennifer Lawrence Lawrence collaboration someday, though. Maybe the Hunger Games actress can star in Hader’s eventual horror film?
Barry is currently streaming for those with a Max subscription. And of course, take a look at the 2023 TV schedule for details on upcoming premieres, in case they need to fill the void after the HBO hit's conclusion. Also, fans who think they missed out on JLaw’s cameo can see the actress flexing her comedic chops in her new film No Hard Feelings, which hits theaters on June 17.
