Jennifer Lawrence Talks Award Season & Acting: 'It's Exhausting and an Honor'
At the Santa Barbara International Film Festival on Feb. 2, actress Jennifer Lawrence talked about her already-trophy-winning career beginning from her time as a child in Kentucky.
Sporting an off-the-shoulder Stella McCarthy pantsuit, The Hunger Games actress was in town to accept the Most Outstanding Performer of the Year award - one more prize for her to add to her trophy rack.
At the Critics Choice Awards on Jan. 10, the 22-year-old took home the honors for Best Actress in an Action Movie and Best Actress in a Comedy. At the People's Choice Awards, she won Favorite Movie Actress and Favorite Face of Heroism. A nominee for a Best Actress Oscar for her performance in David O. Russell's Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence sat down with the festival's director, Roger Durling, to reflect on her short but successful career.
She suffered from pneumonia last week and though she felt better at the film festival, Lawrence told reporters on the red carpet about the award season "It's exhausting and an honor. It's an exhausting honor."
A Louisville, KY, native, she rose to fame following her role as the mutant Mystique in X-Men: First Class but never thought of having an acting career when she was growing up.
"I had never really thought of acting [growning up.] It was never really a possibility," she said. " Now looking back at it, I know that I was an actress since birth. Dressing up in different outfits. And I'd introduce myself as Lucille Ball. So now it's starting to make sense."
Before X-Men, Lawrence was in 2010's Winter Bone, which landed her her first Academy Award nomination, and 2011's Like Crazy. However, none of the films made her an A-list celebrity The Hunger Games and her role as Katniss Everdeen in the film adaptation.
"It's really rare that saying 'yes' to something will completely change your life. I was happy with my life," Lawrence said about taking on the role in Games. "And I always had this imaginary future where I'd be a soccer mom. It just didn't fit with taking on a giant franchise."
Since playing Everdeen in the film, Lawrence has become a role model for millions and when Durling asked her about it, she said, "Fortunately, I don't have a secret life I have to worry about getting out, so I can enjoy it."
The Academy Awards airs on Feb. 24.
