LAID-BACK native of Louisville, Kentucky, at age 24 Jennifer Shrader Lawrence is a natural silver screen force of nature acting beyond her years.
She has the gratifying incentive of choosing a variety of blockbuster to independent roles, making her practically an on-the-spot superstar admired by a widespread demographic, even inciting the pop culture nickname of J-Law.
A few years back in an interview with Australia’s own Jacki Weaver – on the red carpet for Les Miserables shortly after she had finished filming Silver Linings Playbook – was asked what she thought of Jennifer Lawrence. ‘‘Wonderful, beautiful, talented, smart and destined to be a star’’ was the glowing answer. After walking away, Weaver stopped and came back and said ‘‘what am I saying: Jennifer Lawrence is already a star’’.
Nominated for three Academy Awards, one of which she won, there seems to be no slowing down for the talented Lawrence. When attending the ceremony for her first Oscar nomination for her knockout performance in the 2010 drama Winter’s Bone, she was first to arrive on the red carpet smiling away. But few even knew who she was.
Recently in the news as victim of a celebrity photo hacking scandal, Lawrence was forthright in expressing her concern for the violation, which was praised by her peers as an important stand.
Early roles in weird or abstract movies defined Lawrence at the start of her career.
Director Jodie Foster placed Lawrence in The Beaver. The fact it was touted as a comeback for icon Mel Gibson after his public meltdown and the story concerned a character who talked through a hand puppet found in a dumpster did not stop the young star in the making from stealing scenes.
The little known 2008 hidden gem Garden Party had natural blonde Lawrence in a minuscule role, big hair in an array of model-like actors. But she stood out due to ability.
Both the multiple award-winning Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle showcased her clear-cut ability to mix it with higher profile thespians such as Christian Bale and Robert DeNiro. The moment of pure anarchy passion with Amy Adams in American Hustle sent shivers down the spine. The dinner table scene in Silver Linings Playbook showcased her sheer audacity and acting splendour.
It would have been hard not to see an image of Lawrence in blanket advertising for those surprisingly impressive Hunger Games films and for her role in the new generation of X-Men films as the deceptive blue-skinned Mystique. Her acting in those films is still impressive, but scripts are less intense.
All three Hunger Games films have exceeded expectations.
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 gives an indication of her dramatic poise more so than the predecessors, due to less combat.
Her latest film in cinemas is Serena, a weepie she filmed with Silver Linings Playbook star Bradley Cooper a year ago. It’s a period melodrama set during Depression-era North Carolina about an independent woman who works alongside her mogul husband in a time when this is frowned upon. Slow moving through maternity issues and further complications, this tale based on a well-loved book has been labelled a misfire. Serena also has the distinction of putting the Danish film studio 2929 Productions, who financed it, into bankruptcy.
Yet again even in the most overly stated laughable emotional scenes, Lawrence shines maturity beyond her years.
