Jennifer Lawrence: Reigning Queen
There is something relatable about her, almost like you know her. That’s Jennifer Lawrence who stands out as an actor who takes her craft seriously, with all that goofiness.
Jennifer Lawrence might have portrayed some of the most intense characters in films, but her charm lies in her relatable personality. A girl-next-door who has the swiftness of a superhero that can transform herself into the roles she chooses to play. She can laugh at herself and take her ‘fails’ in her stride, quite literally. She is one of the highest paid actors in the world, deservingly so, and a symbol of neofeminism. Her wit and sense of humour is evident as we caught up with her during the promotions of her recently released thriller, Red Sparrow in Los Angeles. In the film, she plays a ballerina and a Russian spy. A sulphurous affair, we say.
How does a 27-year-old superstar start her day?
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My mornings are more a result of or follow in step to my nights. If I spent the entire night on the sofa watching junk television eating a pizza, I would finish the rest of the pizza for breakfast. If I am to train for a role I have to get into a different head space from my own, I become super-disciplined, and, as we well know, the rules of a fitness instructor never include a croissant and a café crème (laughs).
And when you are not working?
In that case, mornings are when I read, especially the news of the day. But, there have also been times where I have spent an entire hour in the garden feeding peanuts to squirrels, which also attracts the coyotes. Don’t forget I live in Los Angeles. It is followed by a walk with my dog Pippy, which becomes a little difficult, and in the end, I must collect the shells of the peanuts!
Red Sparrow is a very violent film, where you have nude scenes too. You have finally shattered the image of the teenagers’ idol, have you?
The film will make people very uncomfortable for sure. I needed, with this role, to step out of my comfort zone. And I do not regret it. For the film adaptation of a book by Jason Matthews, who was a real-life spy, it was paramount to make the film realistic, and for us to push the bar as high as possible and the boundaries as far. I was very nervous at the idea of undressing in front of everyone, but the fact that behind the camera was Francis Lawrence, with whom I did the three Hunger Games films, and a large part of the team from those films were on this set, made the ordeal a lot easier. I finished those scenes with the feeling of having finally completely taken over myself.
In the film you are trained by Charlotte Rampling…
Charlotte is a legend. She is unbelievable. I reached the set all jittery and nervous, and there she was all normal, just an actor going to work. I love that about her. And then she started talking in a perfect Russian accent while on the other hand there was me who had been practising the accent for weeks and, well, I considered changing my discipline.
You have played an important role in the fight for equal wages for women in Hollywood and in the creation of the Time’s Up movement.
Time’s Up is a platform that helps victims of sexual harassment. There is a hotline at the moment on which anyone can call. The degradation has to stop. There are so many tragic things going on in the world that I would like to see stop, corruption for example.
From the April 2018 issue of L’Officiel India.
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