Jennifer Lawrence

by Nadia Cohen

  Many have put the massive global success of the films, which were scripted very closely around the bestselling books of the same name, down to Jennifer’s real-life resemblance to her on-screen character, particularly her seemingly very normal nature, which helped audiences identify with her more easily. Like Jennifer, Katniss is an ordinary girl who suddenly becomes very powerful.

  In the stories, Katniss is the teen victor from District 12, one of the poorest communities in the fictional world of Panem. She becomes a symbol of the working classes as the rebels begin their assault on the greedy Capitol and President Snow.

  Just as Katniss took up the leadership role of the Mockingjay in the film, Jennifer understood that whether she liked it or not, she too had become a role model in her own right, and that girls looked up to her and aspired to be like her. For the first time she had a very devoted fan base, and quickly realised that she had a responsibility to them. ‘I’m just an actress, not the leader of anything important, but being a role model is something I knew came with this job and it’s something I have to be aware of and I’m happy to do,’ she explained to W magazine. ‘Katniss has strength, she doesn’t get insecure. She’s a role model.

  ‘People always worry that I’m wrong for the part: I’m usually too young – or, in the case of Katniss, they thought I was too old. I was blonde, and Katniss is brunette. So many problems. There were a lot of things that we just brushed under the rug. I was afraid that Katniss would overwhelm any other character I’d try to do. But I love Katniss, and she didn’t take over as much of my life as I thought she would.

  ‘She doesn’t have a lot, but she’s happy, and she faces death out of love for her family. She doesn’t want to be a hero but she becomes a symbol for a revolution, a kind of futuristic Joan of Arc.’

  And when asked what she likes best about Katniss, Jennifer explained: ‘Katniss is focused on her survival and a revolution, not who is going to be her boyfriend. Hopefully these movies will make young girls feel more powerful, which is the goal.’

  The role of a powerful female fighting force was far bigger than Jennifer herself, and whether she liked it or not, it would vault her into worldwide fame and the big earnings league, as fans watched the rule-breaking, quick-thinking Katniss become the reluctant leader of a rebellion.

  The Hunger Games movies may have been aimed primarily at younger viewers, but Jennifer took them seriously, and approached her preparation for the role with her usual gusto, taking lessons in archery, tree climbing, hand-to-hand and tactical combat, running, parkour (a spectacularly acrobatic style of running, jumping and vaulting around built-up urban areas), pilates and yoga.

  The franchise proved a massive money-spinner for the studio as loyal fans snapped up merchandise – the movies were even credited with a huge surge in the popularity of archery! As part of her extreme training for the role Jennifer had to learn rock climbing and hand-to-hand combat. She also trained with a four-time Olympian and archery coach, as in the films, Jennifer’s character Katniss is a skilled archer. Her hard work paid off because she can now hit four or five bullseyes out of ten shots.

  And she told Vanity Fair that the skill had come in useful, saying: ‘One time I actually used it for defence. I pulled into my garage and I heard men in my house. And I was like, “I’m not letting them take my stuff.” I had just gotten back from training, so I had the bow and arrows in the back of my car. I went to my car and I put this quiver on me and I had my bow and I loaded it and I’m walking up the stairs. And I look, and my patio doors were open, and there were guys working right there, and I was like, “Heyyy, how you doin’?”’

  The sport, which had been previously seen as rather unfashionable, was suddenly more in demand than ever.

  Archery Australia’s chief operating officer Martin Shaw said the popularity had grown enormously among young people. ‘Our membership has grown by almost 80 per cent in the last three years, which is quite a phenomenal growth,’ he explained.

  He added: ‘Archery has had a prominent role in a number of TV series and films, such as The Hunger Games.’

  Following the release of the first film, The Hunger Games in 2012, almost overnight Jennifer was propelled on to magazine covers everywhere, photos were plastered on the walls of teenage bedrooms and she found herself shooting right to the top of every casting director’s wish list.

  The critics adored her as much as the audiences. Tom McCarthy wrote in the Hollywood Reporter that Jennifer’s portrayal of Katniss Everdeen ‘solidified the connection between the novel and the movie due to her ability to accurately portray whatever character she is given with infinite amounts of charisma.’

  She was immediately in huge demand for dozens more major roles, and with the weight of a massive global franchise resting primarily on her shoulders, Jennifer had to learn to be just as tough and resilient as Katniss herself when her profile was suddenly boosted sky-high. She no longer had to run key decisions past her mother and instead was forced to surround herself with a team of managers, publicists and stylists who would run every aspect of her personal and professional life. Clothes were chosen and bought for her, her meals were delivered and she travelled by private jet and chauffeur-driven limousine. An A-list star now, her world had changed beyond all recognition.

  To her, it was all very strange, as she still felt the same on the inside. ‘I always feel like an idiot every time I fly first class because I’m a kid,’ she said. ‘And I just sit there, and everyone’s got their newspapers and they’re on the computer and I’m like, “Can I get a colouring book please? Can I get some crayons?’”

  The role instantly made her an idol for millions of young girls, something Jennifer has warily accepted. She has gradually come to understand that she needs to be very careful not only about what she says but also who she dates and what she does in her spare time, as vulnerable youngsters would go to great lengths to copy not just her clothes and hairstyle, but every aspect of her behaviour. ‘It’s not like I go out and get crazy,’ Jennifer said. ‘But if young people are listening to me I have to be careful about what I’m saying, which is not my strong suit. I’m trying to work on that.

  ‘Sometimes it’s frustrating because there can be so much backlash for just saying something silly.’

  For the most part, the Hunger Games franchise was all about Katniss Everdeen, and director Francis Lawrence has even admitted that he was sometimes hesitant to show what was going on with other characters when Jennifer was not on screen.

  ‘Because the books are so Katniss-centric, and every scene you see and hear and experience is through Katniss’ eyes, we have an opportunity to expand outward from her a bit in the movies,’ Lawrence explained in an interview with the Huffington Post. ‘But there’s a point at which scenes feel like they don’t work.’

  He revealed he had deleted a scene from Mockingjay – Part 1 (the third in the series), showing a conversation between President Snow, who was played by Hollywood veteran Donald Sutherland, and Josh Hutcherson’s character Peeta Mellark because Jennifer did not feature. In the scene, President Snow demands that Peeta help put an end to the uprising.

  The director added: ‘There are scenes like that in this movie as well, and we thought we would be able to cut away to Snow and see him interact with Peeta. But for some reason, because it wasn’t directly linked to Katniss, it didn’t feel like it worked.

  ‘It just sort of fell on the other side of that balance for us.’

  Another reason why the scene was deleted was because it would have messed with the build-up for Mockingjay – Part 2. If fans saw Peeta alive and well, then the big dramatic question of his safety would have been answered.

  However, the actors concerned revealed that they had been rather disappointed that their scene ended up on the cutting-room floor. ‘I love the scene with Peeta,’ Donald Sutherland told HitFix in 2014. ‘It just didn’t fit with their paradigm. It wasn’t evident when we wrote it, but it was a lovely scene. Just lovely.’
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  With Mockingjay – Part 2 due for release at the end of 2015, director Francis Lawrence attended CinemaCon – the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners – in April of that year, and gave hints about what audiences could expect from the eagerly anticipated film. As he accepted his Director of the Year award at the convention’s Big Screen Achievement Awards, held at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, he revealed what was in store for the fourth and final Hunger Games movie.

  He said: ‘Fans can finally see the conclusion of the series. This one finally closes the story out. This is where we see Katniss reignite and she goes to the Capitol. She goes to war.’

  While Lawrence refused to divulge any spoilers that could potentially ruin the cinematic experience for fans, he did reveal that he tried to use reality in place of digital effects as much as possible. ‘A lot of the things you’re going to see in Mockingjay – Part 2, a lot of the environments were real,’ he said, sharing that the cast shot in Berlin and Paris rather than relying on computer-generated scenery.

  ‘We found some fantastic architecture,’ he went on. ‘I try to find as much of a real environment as possible. It always helps the actor and helps them sort of connect to what’s happening.’

  While the Hunger Games series was fast coming to a close, the director insisted that he had thoroughly enjoyed working on the franchise with Jennifer: ‘It’s been really gratifying to be part of these stories. It’s not often that you get to be a part of something that has real meaning and real relevance and real themes and ideas that so many people flock to see.

  ‘Doing these last two movies, these are the stories that sort of bring all of the themes and ideas together and it’s where the stories all pay off, so it’s been a real joy.’

  He added that there was one more scene left to shoot, as well as some digital and sound-effect tweaking that needed to occur before it was complete and ready for its cinema debut.

  Jennifer has also spoken enthusiastically about how much she enjoyed the months spent filming in Georgia, even though she told Marie Claire magazine: ‘I have been running around in a sewer.’

  But the long hours spent on set away from home meant she forged exceptionally close friendships with her co-stars, especially Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. In an appearance on The Tonight Show she described a bizarre night out the close-knit trio had enjoyed in a local bar during shooting. It turned out that the bar also hosted an array of senior citizen strippers, and when Jennifer was given a lap dance by an elderly stripper called Little Bo Peep, she had no idea what she was letting herself in for.

  Apparently the old woman would not let Jennifer touch her, and stuck her breast in the actress’s mouth! Jennifer said she almost took a bath in hydrogen peroxide afterwards, so horrified was she by the raunchy dance act.

  Nights like this meant Jennifer, Josh and Liam forged an unbreakable bond and they vowed to stay friends long after the director had shouted ‘Cut!’ for the final time.

  As the franchise drew to a close and Jennifer moved on to other acting projects and commitments, she admitted that she was happy with the place her character had ended up. ‘I loved that Katniss and Gale [played by Liam Hemsworth] have such a rich history, which we’ve never been able to fully, fully explore to the extent we do in this film,’ she explained at the first official launch of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2. ‘Up until now it was always more about Katniss and Peeta. But there are so many complexities to Katniss and Gale and that relationship because before Katniss went into the Games, Gale was the only person who really understood her and knew her, because they grew up together.’

  To her immense relief, her fears about being typecast as a tough action heroine proved unfounded as within a month of being offered the role, she was also cast as a character by the name of Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), the adaptation of a novel by Matthew Quick. Jennifer was chosen alongside heart-throb Bradley Cooper and the legendary Robert De Niro, in what would be the start of a long-running and fruitful relationship between the three stars, who had an instant chemistry, which again proved box-office gold.

  In the movie Jennifer plays a troubled young woman who has recently lost her husband and her job. Consumed by grief, she moves back in with her parents. But her family – and the rest of their sedate neighbourhood – are horrified to realise she has become an outspoken sex addict who causes them huge embarrassment.

  Her parents may have wanted little to do with her, but Tiffany befriends a new neighbour, Pat (played by Bradley Cooper) when he too is forced to return to his parents’ home following a bitter marital split. They develop an odd friendship through their shared struggles and bouts of depression, after Tiffany promises to help him win back his wife if he will partner her in a dance competition.

  Jennifer said later: ‘I’m a terrible dancer. It was so stressful because Bradley was really great. It became more and more of a stressful thing, but it was fun – like, once you actually learn a dance, it’s really fun to do.’

  Praise for her performance in this quirky role was staggering. She was only twenty-one years old at the time, yet appeared to effortlessly portray a woman dealing with huge emotional problems way beyond her years. Even the fiercest critics heralded the way she appeared both sullen and sultry at the same time, and were impressed by the maturity with which she approached the role.

  The part won her another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role, but despite the frenzy of excitement surrounding her, Jennifer did not have much time to celebrate – she had to return straight back to work as The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was just going into production at the same time. If she was distracted by the Oscar circus, Jennifer was too professional to show it, and impressed the cast and crew with her determination and work ethic, preparing herself physically and mentally for this second instalment of the franchise just as seriously as she had for the first.

  And it came as no surprise that soon after its release in November 2013, Catching Fire became another huge hit, surpassing Marvel’s Iron Man 3 by January 2014 and achieving the highest earnings in the North American box offices, grossing $409.4 million. Once again, much of the movie’s success was put down to Jennifer’s gutsy and convincing portrayal of Katniss.

  She even received a glowing email from the then co-chair of Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal, praising her performance under the direction of Francis Lawrence: ‘Just saw catching fire and your performance was enthralling. It’s like watching Steve McQueen in Bullitt or something … simply mesmerising.

  ‘And I really loved the movie. Francis did a great job. Amy.’

  Jennifer of course was delighted by the praise and immediately replied: ‘Thank you so much! Wow what a compliment thank you:) I’m sorry I’ve been so mia [missing in action] didn’t have time for emails during the press tour so day after thanksgiving I’m catching up! Thank you for such a sweet note. Hope to see you soon:)

  Xo Jen.’

  Her latest success in Silver Linings Playbook meant Jennifer could now have her pick of whatever roles she chose, but director David O. Russell was not ready to let her go quite yet, and handpicked her to play a character by the name of Rosalyn Rosenfeld in his next film, American Hustle (2013). Reunited with Bradley Cooper, she is the undisputed star of this witty crime drama based on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s involvement in a political corruption scandal that took place in New Jersey during the 1970s. Jennifer’s character Rosalyn is the wife of a con artist who goes up against powerbrokers and the mafia.

  Jennifer showed her sexy side in a string of plunging vintage gowns, although it later emerged that her desire for Doritos taco chips – and eating them messily between takes – led to the wardrobe department having to replace many of the costumes.

  Costume designer Michael Wilkinson said: ‘Jennifer Lawrence is a very … let’s say … raw and intuitive young lady, and she’s not against eating Doritos and snack food in her costume… So we were glad that
we had a couple [backups].’

  Many critics found fault with various aspects of the film itself, but once again Jennifer’s performance was universally lauded and won her widespread acclaim – she became the youngest actress in history to be nominated for Best Supporting Actress by the Screen Actor’s Guild, the Critics’ Choice Awards and the Golden Globe Awards.

  Continuing her lucrative on-screen partnership with Cooper, which crackled with chemistry, almost immediately the pair were cast together again as husband and wife in the film Serena (2014), also adapted from a novel, by Ron Rash. Jennifer was drafted into the project to replace Angelina Jolie, who dropped out of the movie, set in the Great Depression era. Although she was not first choice, Jennifer showed her usual enthusiasm as she launched herself into the role of an emotionally unstable woman who learns she can never bear her husband’s children, but then discovers that he had an illegitimate son prior to their marriage. As a result, she sets out to murder the boy’s mother.

  Jennifer had never really experienced bad reviews, but this movie was plagued with harsh critiques and the release was delayed several times until eventually it was decided to avoid cinemas altogether and release the film straight to DVD. Nevertheless, yet again Jennifer’s sensitive, mature and nuanced performance won her plaudits, with Robbie Collins of The Daily Telegraph suggesting that ‘Lawrence comes out of it significantly better than Cooper’.

  But there was no time to dwell on this, as she only had a few days to rest before she was straight back into production for the next instalment of the X-Men franchise, reprising her role as the blue-skinned mutant Mystique in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). In this film Professor X, played in his older incarnation by Star Trek veteran Patrick Stewart and in the film’s past sequences by James McAvoy, comes to the realisation that the creation of ‘Sentinels’, robots that hunt all mutants and which have an ability to transform themselves to combat any mutant, hinges upon a moment in time when Mystique was apprehended after shooting Bolivar Trask (played by Game of Thrones star Peter Dinklage), the dwarf scientist who created the sentinels in the 1970s.