Jennifer Lawrence shot to fame after her role in Winters Bone (which made her the third-youngest actress ever to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress) and solidified her A-list status when she took up the role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games trilogy based on the smash hit young adult novels. She’s received critical acclaim for her role in 2012’s Silver Linings Playbook opposite Bradley Cooper and is currently in the midst of another round of award ceremonies for her role in American Hustle. While it’s obvious she’s both a talented and hard-working young actress, what is most impressive about Lawrence is what a positive role model she is. Here are five times that proved just that:
1. She refused to lose too much weight for her role in The Hunger Games.
In a world where young girls are constantly forced to look at perfectly slim Hollywood stars, Jennifer Lawrence’s body confidence and refusal to be stick thin is impressive. Sure, some people may say that it’s easy for her to be confident as she is already slim, but in Hollywood terms she’s obese and whatever her weight, her refusal to change her body for other people is an inspiration. “I’m never going to starve myself for a part,” she said. “I don’t want little girls to be like, ‘Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner.’ I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong — not thin and underfed.” In an interview for Newsnight, she said “We have the ability to control this image that young girls are going to be seeing. They see enough of this body that they will never be able to obtain and it’s an amazing opportunity to rid ourselves of that in this industry.”
2. She comforted a young fan at the Catching Fire premiere
Jennifer Lawrence proved that she genuinely is a kind-hearted person when she left an interview on the red carpet of the London premiere of Catching Fire to console a young fan who had become overwhelmed at seeing her. Ignoring the usual rules, Lawrence broke through the barrier to sit and talk with the girl for a few minutes.
3. She called out E!’s Fashion Police
During an extensive round of press for the film Catching Fire, Jennifer Lawrence slammed the television programme Fashion Police. The Joan Rivers fronted E! show features Rivers and a panel of stars, including Kelly Osbourne and E!’s news presenter/reality star Guliana Rancic, discussing (and by discussing I mean either gushing or insulting) celebrity style. Lawrence expressed that the show teaches people ‘that it’s ok to point at people and call them ugly or fat. Then they say welcome to the real world. And it’s like, that shouldn’t be the real world.’
4. She realises how ridiculous Hollywood is.
Lawrence isn’t an actress who as an inflated opinion of herself and her job. Talking to Vanity Fair, Lawrence said “Not to sound rude, but [acting] is stupid. Everybody’s like, ‘How can you remain with a level head?’ And I’m like, ‘Why would I ever get cocky? I’m not saving anybody’s life. There are doctors who save lives and firemen who run into burning buildings. I’m making movies. It’s stupid.’”
5. She’s totally human.
Celebrities live completely unrealistic lifestyles. It’s easy to forget they are, at their core, just human beings, like everyone else. But Jennifer Lawrence is totally herself, from getting distracted in interviews by the mention of food, admitting she’d rather stay in and watch TV than attend celebrity parties, falling up the stairs at award shows, and, best of all, fangirling over other celebrities. Talking to Vanity Fair about getting starstruck she admitted ‘Once I’m obsessed with somebody, I’m terrified of them instantly. I’m not scared of them — I’m scared of me and how I will react. Like, for instance, one time someone was introducing me to Bill Maher, and I saw Meryl Streep walk into the room, and I literally put my hand right in Bill Maher’s face and said, ‘Not now, Bill!’ and I just stared at Meryl Streep. […] I just creepily stared at her.”