It’s easy to see why Jennifer Lawrence is perhaps one of this generation’s most eclectic and capable actresses. The sheer magnitude of her acting prowess and commanding charisma captured the attention of fans, critics, movie goers, and fashion lovers alike.
Known for being light-hearted and down to earth, the success Jennifer Lawrence enjoyed was due to many things: talent, hard work, and sheer will power that got her through some extremely rough times in her professional and personal life.
Lawrence’s mother began taking her to casting agencies ever since she was little as she always hoped for a career in acting and modeling. But the actress was discovered on the streets of New York City by a scouting agent at the ripe old age of 14, and it’s safe to say her life has never been the same since. Now a mother and happily married, here’s a look at some of the highlights of Lawrence’s life and acting career.
8 Her Very First Notable Acting Role
Jennifer Lawrence got her big break on the TV sitcom The Bill Engvall show which ran for three seasons from 2007 to 2009 on TBS. Critics and fans alike described her presence on the show as "scene stealing," and a joy to behold. Lawrence also had small roles in other TV hit shows like Monk and Medium and even almost got cast in Gosspi Girl before she became the silver screen knockout fans know and love today. She played the character of Lauren, a young scheming teen who is the family's little troublemaker. Fans liked her role on the show for being relatable with lines everybody asks once in their lives like, "Why did you guys choose to have other children after me?"
7 Her Very First Oscar Nomination
Jennifer Lawrence was nominated for her very first Oscar when she was just 20 years old, making her the second youngest actress to be nominated for an Academy Award at that time. Having been paid only three thousand dollars for her hit role in the movie Winter's Bone, Lawrence showed up looking gorgeous in her iconic red dress for this massive moment in her young career. The starlet recalls her emotions during that time on the red carpet saying," We made this tiny movie that we prayed anybody would see, and prayed it would get into Sundance, and then we were going to be walking down the carpet at the Oscars. So, I was expecting to have this very whimsical, 'Oh my God' moment, and when I got on the carpet, I was like, 'Oh my God, this is amazing!' and I just started screaming at everybody."
6 Winning Her First Oscar For The Silver Linings Playbook
Although her stumble up the stairs might have garnered a lot of media attention, her accomplishment on that day is something the actress will always remember. Lawrence won an Academy Award for Best Actress in A Leading Role in 2012 solidifying her as an acting force to be reckoned with. Now the actress is not just an Academy Award winner, she has numerous impressive achievements and accolades under her belt. She quipped about her fall during her acceptance speech saying, "You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that's really embarrassing but thank you. This is nuts. Thank you to the Academy and thank you to the women this year."
5 When She Stood Up For All Women
Jennifer Lawrence has spoken up about Hollywood pay gaps, and pay gaps in general, during her career. In an interview with Vogue, the actress said, "It doesn't matter how much I do, I'm still not going to get paid as much as that guy, because of my vagina." This was clear to everyone when it was revealed that she earned 7% of the film American Hustle's box office profits while her male costars took home 9%." She was one of the leading voices in that matter and fans celebrated her comments as being a true voice of change.
4 Becoming Katniss Everdeen
The first Hunger Games film was released back in 2008 to unmatched world-wide popularity. The franchise launched Lawrence to stardom and made her an idol to many young women and fans all around the world. Katniss stood for female empowerment and standing up against injustice even in the most dire situations, solidifying Lawrence as not only an actress but a cultural icon.
3 Taking Up X-Men's Mystique
Mystique was always a fan favorite to comic book lovers, but Lawrence's portrayal gave the character even more depth and determination. Although Lawrence hated all the body paint and makeup that took hours to apply and hours to remove, fans are thankful that she showed them a different side to Mystique and pushed X-Men to be a true class act.
2 When She Took A Break From Acting
In 2019, Lawrence announced that she is taking a break for a while from acting. She shared her reasons on an interview with Vanity Fair saying, "I wasn't getting the quality I should have. I just think everyone got sick of me. I got sick of myself. I had just reached the point where I couldn't do anything right. If I walked down the red carpet, it was like, 'Why didn't she run?'" In such a day and age where everybody gets frantic about their careers, fans thought it was her move was indeed very refreshing.
1 Her Role In Don't Look Up
After a 3-year hiatus from acting, Lawrence came back in full force with a powerful satiric comedy that discusses many of this day and age problems and downfalls hilariously. Fans have indeed missed her and welcomed her return to acting with tons of excitement. She also got to work with director Adam Mckay, which was something the starlet always had in her bucket list. So it was a win-win for all!
