AceShowbiz -

David O. Russell touched a sensitive subject when talking about Jennifer Lawrence's work ethics. The director compared Lawrence's commitment to "The Hunger Games" franchise to slavery, thinking she deserved a break from the franchise.

Russell directed Lawrence in "Silver Linings Playbook" and "American Hustle". It took her the second half of 2013 to promote "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" before she was able to focus on "Hustle".

Russell thought the franchise should've given her a break. "I personally think they should give her a bit of breathing room over there because they're printing money," he told The New York Daily News' Confidenti@l on Friday, January 10. "But she's a very alive person."

Russell continued, "I'll tell you what it is about that girl - talk about 12 years of slavery, that's what the franchise is." He quickly realized that he might have offended some people with his comment, saying, "And I'm going to get in so much trouble for saying that." But Russell believed that "Hunger Games" was like a "hamster wheel" and had overworked Lawrence, adding the actress took more artistic roles as a "vacation" from her more commercial ones.

Lawrence is currently filming the third and fourth installments of "Hunger Games" and is due to promote her next movie "X-Men: Days of Future Past" this year.