Jennifer Lawrence To Take A Year Off From Acting, Shift Focus To Activism
Jennifer Lawrence is taking a one-year hiatus from acting to focus on activism. The actress revealed her plans during a promotional tour for her latest film Red Sparrow.
Hiatus
Lawrence joined co-star Joel Edgerton and director Francis Lawrence for a sit-down interview about Red Sparrow, where she also shared her plans next year. The 27-year old revealed that she is taking time off from Hollywood to work with Represent. Us, an organization that aims to curb political corruption.
"I'm going to take the next year off. I'm going to be working with this organization as a part of Represent.Us ... trying to get young people engaged politically on a local level," Lawrence told ET's Carly Steel during a roundtable discussion.
Lawrence clarified that she is not going into politics, but aims to work with the non-profit organization in preventing corruption.
"It doesn't have anything to do with partisan. It's just anti-corruption and stuff trying to pass state by state laws that can help prevent corruption, fix our democracy," the X-Men star added.
Represent.Us
Lawrence's involvement with Represent.Us started last month when she visited Cleveland Heights High School to discuss corruption in politics. She talked to a government class about the importance of political investment.
Thirty Heights High juniors and seniors participated in a discussion about fixing democracy. Senior student Londyn Crenshaw even complimented the Oscar winner for her knowledge of politics.
"It was really amazing how informed Ms. Lawrence is about politics. It makes a big difference when people who are just 10 years older than us come to talk about political issues. When she said 'this is your time,' that really made me think. I have been involved in my community and will continue to be involved in grassroots activism because it's important," Crenshaw said of Lawrence's visit.
Activism
Aside from her involvement with Represent.Us, the mother! Star has also been a vocal supporter of women's rights. She attended the Women's March in January. She is also a strong advocate for equal pay among actors in Hollywood, regardless of gender.
In a Facebook post, the actress also voiced her support for the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals scheme.
Lawrence talked about her passion for activism at The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 Women in Entertainment Power 100 event, where she received the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. She talked about the global challenges facing the industry today and asked people to be resilient.
