Jennifer Lawrence on Being a Role Model
The LA Times conducted a lovely interview with Jennifer Lawrence about the feeling of entitlement some have in the film industry and her influence on young girls, particularly after stepping into the hunting boots of Katniss Everdeen:
“I was a teenager too — hard to believe, right? — and remember reading magazines and tabloids,” Lawrence says. “I don’t think the media realizes how much they glorify anorexia. You have an actress who loses a bunch of weight for a role and she’s explaining how she lost it. ‘I ate one grape a day and I lost 25 pounds and I was dangerously underweight and now I get awards.’
“With Katniss, I never meant to make a big deal about it. It was just important she was strong and a warrior instead of being wasted away, especially when, without a doubt, she’s going to be a role model for a lot of young girls. I thought it would be better for them to say, ‘I could look like Katniss’ rather than ‘I’ll never be able to look like that if I keep eating.’”
Jennifer also discussed working with no nonsense director David O. Russell in Silver Linings Playbook, a man who is unafraid to tell actors they’re terrible in a scene, and her strong but flawed character, Tiffany:
“It’s so hilarious to me, especially after working in Hollywood where everyone tiptoes around actors and their feelings,” Lawrence says. “We’re all doing the same thing. We’re all making a film. Let’s just cut the … . Don’t tell me what I’m doing right. Tell me what I’m doing wrong, so I can fix it. I came from a sports family, so I respond better to that approach.”
“Tiffany’s learned that there’s always going to be parts of her that are off, that aren’t normal, that aren’t like everyone else, but you have to accept and forgive yourself,” Lawrence says. “That’s the most important thing she could have learned and, hopefully, our audience could learn too.”
You can read the entire interview at LA Times where Lawrence goes on to tell of her parent’s first viewing of Silver Linings Playbook and making them proud. Also some very complimentary words about her from David O. Russell and Bradley Cooper and how her iPhone bullies her by calling her Meredith! Via: HGGirlOnFire. Photo: Kirk McCoy
Re Jen’s refusal to lose weight to play Katniss; while I think most of it was superficial, I recall that some of the criticism was that this was somehow “unprofessional”, or a sign that she wasn’t fully committed to getting into character. I think this may have come from people who were skeptical about the casting already, though.
Also, even if she HAD lost weight, she still wouldn’t have looked exactly like Book!Katniss. There is no diet that takes inches off someone’s HEIGHT, and the only diets that take away someone’s curves are essentially starvation diets, the type that result in a woman’s period stopping, and all sorts of badness.
As for this comment about her character Tiffany, I thought it was interesting:
“Tiffany is, like Katniss, a powerful young woman, but she’s also flawed and damaged. She’s made mistakes — and continues to make mistakes.”
This quote almost makes it sound like Katniss ISN’T “flawed and damaged”, which I guess you could argue applies to THG Katniss, but certainly not to CF or MJ Katniss. While the two are still VERY different, I do think that the depth Jen brought to Tiffany (in a movie that is officially a comedy, no less), also suggests the depth she will bring to Katniss in the later films.
I just really like the fact that Jen tries to address a disorder which has developed in a western culture only. She totally gets that out of all psychological disorders you can have, this is one disorder that a very flawed society has made it possible to develop.
I really hope she will be a role model to everyone and show that you should never give in to nonsense just because society seems to promote that it is right.
She has already proven that her acting skills make her so desirable and not moderate acting skills + malnourishment.
EVERyONE VOTE FOR THE HUNGER GAMES on the MTV brawl. It is against The Host!!!!!!!!!!!!
true, being super thin is not ideal specially for a character to be looked up to by many young people. maybe they can show the “hunger” and “starvation” through other means (challenge is to make it believable because of the given that your main character who is supposed to be under the same societal context is not excused to that fact.)
she’s such an inspiration!
To be honest:
I think she’s full of shit about this one
She didn’t lose weight for Katniss because she needs to stay curvy for other roles and to stay what they are making her to be: Hollywood’s poster girl
She’s definitely not Katniss for me – not phisically that is- she doesn’t even meet the age parameter and she doesn’t look young enough to pull off being a 16 year old
That said: Her acting is incredible and in that manner she was THE PERFECT Katniss, so I overlook that she’s not 16, short and lean.
Kinda hypocritical to say ‘I don’t want to be a role model for anorexia… but I’m cool about killing other kids and using weapons! YAY!’
So you think the Hunger Games is about “killing other kids and using weapons”? I’ve heard people that aren’t fans of the book saying stuff like that, but I thought we knew better. It’s about being oppressed, fighting authority when their power is being misused and the love of family. So I don’t see how she being against anorexia is hypocritical at all.
And I don’t think she’s “full of shit”. She doesn’t have the stereotypical body for a celebrity, and I honestly don’t think she refused to lose weight so she could get other parts. She has more curves and weight than most romantic leads, and she owns it.
But I do agree that although I was skeptical of her being Katniss when I first saw her picture I was so blown away by her acting that now she’s Katniss to the end.
I’m with you. It’ s not hypocritical because she doesn’t have to agree 100% with Katniss all the time. Besides, Katniss wasn’t okay with people killing other people. That is obvious if you read the book.
WOW What an inspiration! It made me cry, because of personal reasons.
She said she did lose some weight, though. She specifically mentioned in one interview that it was always best to have your dieting done before you arrive on set, which is what she did for THG filming.
And yes, she’s got some fantastic womanly curves (I’m referring to the curves that many women don’t get until their early 20s), but I think we might be forgetting just how freaking tiny she still is in terms of dress size. Her waist in the fire dress during the Caesar interview was like…wow. So I’m glad she stayed on the healthy side of things, but there are still plenty of young girls who’d kill for her body. I think in that respect, the anorexia focus misses the point.
@Satsuma – I wondered the same thing regarding her later portrayals of Katniss. Book Katniss is a very unpleasant person in many respects and I wonder how much of that they’ll leave intact for the upcoming movies.
Death2Analog: “Kinda hypocritical to say ‘I don’t want to be a role model for anorexia… but I’m cool about killing other kids and using weapons! YAY!’”
Uh, I don’t recall Jen ever saying that it was cool to kill people or use weapons. And if that’s what you think the message of THG is, then all I can say is that I disagree with you.
SPM: I think there’s a difference between “dieting” and “starving yourself like an anorexic”. Totally agree that Jen is NOT anything close to overweight. I’m not saying her comments are perfectly sociologically and medically accurate. And I’m sure some people think that because she’s “just a Hollywood starlet”, she should have just kept her mouth shut and not replied to her critics at all. Now, I actually don’t think actors, athletes, etc., SHOULD be primary role models for kids and teens. But like it or not, that is the reality of the situation, and I’m glad that Jen acknowledged that she IS a role model.
I wouldn’t quite say that Book Katniss is a “very unpleasant person in many respects”, that makes her seem almost like an anti-hero who’s bad qualities almost outweigh the good, and I don’t think she quite gets there. But “flawed and damaged” definitely does and that I hope that at least by MJ, the toll of her experiences and the frank PTSD and depression I think she definitely developed, will be shown on-screen. That would elevate this series way above standard YA book-to-movie adaptation fare. Yes, including Harry Potter.
I agree.
You have to see the difference between real life and virtual.
Book Katniss is malnourished and kills kids to survive.
Movie Katniss is lean and kills kids to survive.
Jennifer Lawrence is lean/sometimes a bit pudgy and does not kill kids…
That’s not hypocritical at all.
She isn’t referring to herself as Katniss you know?
She sees herself (Jennifer) as a role model to a lot of young women out there and refuses to let western societies expectations force her to be something she does not want to be. In this case anorexic.
JL addresses a big problem. Just read Portia de Rossi’s history.
PS. I am pretty sure that actors don’t take roles and say I believe in what my character believes in
Think of all the evil people out there…ok Heath Ledger/joker is dead, but imagine all that the evil!. 
Eh, really? I thought the message of THG is: that’s how you outsmarted the tyrant and throw gasoline on rebellion. No? Okay.
Btw, if you have read about Suzanne Collin interview in “Hunger Games Movie Companion” how she got idea for THG trilogy, that’s what she really mean about it. Through decades, is war necessary? How ’bout nuclear use/hazardous substance in war?
I don’t think Katniss is “very unpleasant person in many respect”. Sure, she isn’t typically people’s person or sweet sugary. Katniss still angry and disappointed with her mom, and what Mrs. Everdeen can do if she can’t help herself. She want her be strong for her and her little sister too. Just my opinion why Katniss is sometimes like an angry kid.
ILOVE U JEN!!!
I pretty much adore this girl.
Personally, subjects like this are very touchy. How to express your feelings about stuff like this without being corny hypocritical. I guess all you can do is just charge right in and get your message through.
She is such a breath of fresh air to me. I don’t care if she isn’t 16, short, and lean. She was a magnificent Katniss! The books really mean a lot to me and if she wouldn’t have done a good job in the movie, I wouldn’t be happy, but I can’t see anyone else being a better Katniss than Jen. Also, I think The Hunger Games trilogy has many meanings. It has about as many layers as an onion if you think about it. First you have the theme of repression and rebellion, much like that of our government. Then you have the theme of just overcoming insurmountable odds and obstacles in general. Anyone can apply that to their life. Then you have the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta and Gale. In that sense you could infer that true love overcomes everything and anything since Katniss and Peeta end up together in the end. The Hunger Games honestly has COUNTLESS meanings and themes. Suzanne Collins really is a brilliant writer. Don’t argue over what the books are about. Concentrate on what they mean to YOU.