There’s a significant age gap between the main characters in No Hard Feelings, but it is key to their story. After taking a brief break, Jennifer Lawrence returned to the big screen in the sex comedy No Hard Feelings. Directed by Gene Stupnitsky, No Hard Feelings stars Jennifer Lawrence as Maddie Barker, an Uber driver and bartender living in Montauk, New York, and who’s on the verge of bankruptcy. Meanwhile, Percy Becker is the son of a pair of wealthy cryptocurrency investors who want him to be ready for university as he never goes out and is inexperienced with girls.
When Maddie’s car is repossessed as she owes property taxes on the home she inherited from her mother, she comes across the Beckers’ Craiglist posting looking for someone to “date” Percy in exchange for a Buick Regal. The goal is to bring Percy out of his shell so he’s ready to go to Princeton University in the fall, but it proves to be a real challenge for Maddie. No Hard Feelings sparked some controversy due to the age gap between Maddie and Percy, but this was key to their story and it reflected the age gap between the actors.
Jennifer Lawrence Is 12 Years Older Than Andrew Barth Feldman
In No Hard Feelings, the Beckers were looking for someone no older than 25 to “date” Percy and show him the world of dating, girls, and parties. As Maddie needed the Buick to keep working as an Uber and thus pay all her debts, she responded to the Beckers’ posting, even though she was 32. Percy was 19 years old and was very socially awkward, which is why his parents were worried about him and wanted him to be “ready” for university, though Percy’s shyness and awkwardness were also, in large part, his parents’ fault. The age gap between Maddie and Percy sparked some debate when No Hard Feelings was announced, but it’s almost the same difference between Lawrence and Feldman.
Jennifer Lawrence was born on August 15, 1990, and Andrew Barth Feldman was born on May 7, 2002, meaning there’s a 12-year difference between them. While filming No Hard Feelings, Lawrence was 32 years old, just like Maddie, and Feldman was 20, almost the same age as Percy. The age gap between the actors being the same as between the characters definitely helped sell the story and the bond between Maddie and Percy, even if some viewers found it to be controversial.
Did No Hard Feelings’ Age Gap Controversy Hurt The Movie?
Controversy around No Hard Feelings began when the first trailer was released, as it showed Maddie trying to seduce Percy, with no explanation of how much older she was. Many accused the film of promoting grooming, even though Percy is older than 18, but his immaturity might have given the wrong idea before the movie came out. In the end, the age gap issue didn’t hurt the movie, as it was clear that the story wasn’t what everyone thought when the trailers were released.
No Hard Feelings performed well at the box office and got mixed to positive reviews, with most critics praising Lawrence’s performance. Although No Hard Feelings still got its fair share of criticism, it wasn’t anything big or serious that ended up hurting the movie. Ultimately, No Hard Feelings benefited from the discussion that was sparked with its first trailer (whether it was intentionally made to provoke that exact reaction or not is unknown), and the age gap was key to the individual stories of Maddie and Percy and their friendship.
