Who Is Darren Aronofsky? 6 Things You Didn’t Know About Jennifer Lawrence’s Boyfriend

After dodging rumors about dating “Passengers” co-star Chris Pratt, Jennifer Lawrence was recently spotted strolling through New York City’s Central Park on New Year’s Eve with boyfriend Darren Aronofsky.

The couple, who began dating last year, have been spotted out in public before but maintain a low profile. According to a People source, Aronofsky, 47, is “very low-key,” but Lawrence, 26, has had her eye on him for quite some time and the two finally got to work together on the upcoming film, “Mother.” Here are a few things to know about Aronofsky:

He Directed “Black Swan”

The Brooklyn-born director has a number of critically acclaimed films under his belt, including “The Wrestler” and “Requiem for a Dream,” but he may be most famous for his 2010 film, “Black Swan.” It was after seeing “Black Swan” that Lawrence knew she wanted to work with the director.

He Was Engaged To Rachel Weisz

Aronofsky began dating Weisz during the summer of 2001 and got engaged in 2005. The following year, Weisz and Aronofsky gave birth to their son, Henry Chance Aronofsky. The couple announced their breakup in 2010.

He’s A Humanitarian

The director is known for his environmental activism and even received a humanitarian award from both the Humane Society of the United States and PETA. In 2014 and 2015, Aronofsky made trips to the Alberta Tar Sands in Alberta, Canada and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.

He Was Set To Direct “The Wolverine”

In 2010, Aronofsky was attached to “The Wolverine” but dropped out due to scheduling. While Aronofsky was signed on to the film, it was set to be a “one-off” as opposed to a sequel to the first Wolverine film.

His First Film Was Made On A $68,000 Budget

The director’s first film, “Pi,” was produced on a budget of $68,000 and the money came from friends and family giving him $100 donations. In return for the donations, Aronofsky promised to pay them back $150 if the film made any money. The film went on to gross $3.2 million at the box-office.

He Had A Script For A Batman Film Ready

Following the critical failure of 1997’s “Batman & Robin,” Aronofsky was hired to write and direct a reboot of the Batman film franchise. Along with writer Frank Miller, Aronofsky planned to bring “Batman: Year One” to the big screen. While an early draft of the script kept most of the elements and themes from the original graphic novel, other pieces were left out. This led the studio to shelve the film. The franchise was later rebooted in 2005 with Christopher Nolan’s “Batman Begins.”