By NICHOLAS NEGRON
Staff Writer
Jennifer Lawrence has become a household name over the last two years. Popularity for the loved star is equally based on her talent and personality.
Jennifer Lawrence was born in Kentucky, August 1990. At a young age, she found her love for acting and began performing in local theater. When she turned 14, her parents took her to New York City to find a talent agent. Knowing that acting was her passion, she graduated from high school two years early, with a GPA of 3.9.
Her success began in television in 2007, when she played Bill Engvall’s daughter on the TBS show The Bill Engvall Show. She was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work.
At this time, she also began acting in independent films. She became widely known when she was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Winter’s Bone, but she lost the statue to Natalie Portman for her work in Black Swan. Lawrence would then move on to star in one of the most anticipated book-to-film adaptations ever, The Hunger Games. She is credited for reviving strong action heroines in film.
During this time, she began to appear on more talk shows, giving America a taste of her witty and spunky personality. Her looks garnered her high rankings on beauty lists from magazines, but this has never been important to Lawrence. She realizes the struggles of weight and wants young girls to never be ashamed of their bodies.
She has even vocalized her despise for shows such as Fashion Police, upsetting the show’s star, Joan Rivers.
“If anybody even tries to whisper the word ‘diet,’ I’m, like, ‘You can go f- yourself,’” Lawrence said to The Guardian.
Lawrence is recreating the stereotype of an actress. They can have personalities. They do not have to be paper-thin. Parents are appreciative to have a public figure so down to earth in the lives of their children. Her zany facial expressions and offbeat comments have made her a tumblr phenomenon. Her heart is shown on screen and off.
She went past the barricades on the red carpet for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire to hug an emotional disabled fan. While the media generally only report on the negatives in society, this simple action of kindness went viral.
Peter Travers of Rolling Stone wrote that she “is some kind of miracle. She’s rude, dirty, funny, foulmouthed, sloppy, sexy, vibrant, and vulnerable, sometimes all in the same scene, even in the same breath.”
Lawrence was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2011 and a little over a year later, won her first Oscar for her performance in the indie blockbuster Silver Linings Playbook. The film is centered on a bipolar man, played by Bradley Cooper, and a widowed woman, played by Lawrence, who slowly fall for each other.
The film has helped Hollywood understand what mental illness is, which, according to the film’s cast and crew, is more important than any other accolade.
Lawrence was honored by Time last year when she was named one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She has been praised by actors and directors alike for her unique acting style. She has taken her celebrity in stride, always wondering when people will become sick and tired of her.
“… I’m going to be that person that everybody hates because it’s like, ‘Here I am!’ all the time,” she said on Chelsea Lately.
Lawrence’s most recent role was a supporting one in American Hustle. This is her second collaboration with director David O. Russell, after Silver Linings Playbook, and she has received as many accolades as that film. She has already won a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress for her American Hustle role, and she has been nominated for an Academy Award for the performance as well. As she won an Oscar last year, many say her chances are slim to win a second year in a row.
However, never count Jennifer Lawrence out. She is now the youngest actress to have three Academy Award nominations. Theaters will see more of her in 2014, as she will be starring in three films: the indie Serena, her third collaboration with Bradley Cooper, and the mega-budget sequels X-Men: Days of Future Past and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1.
While American sweethearts come and go, it is clear that Jennifer Lawrence has secured her iconic position in pop culture. She effortlessly transitions from action to drama. Her noteworthy acting has garnered her with dozens of awards while she is only 23.
Jennifer’s exuberant personality has made her the ultimate girl next door and best friend in your head. Her charm comes naturally. She is indeed one of a kind.
