SHE may be the number one highest paid actress in
Hollywood, with earnings in excess of US $52 million (AUD $71 million) in 2015,
but life wasn’t always flush for Jennifer Lawrence, 25, who grew up in rural
Kentucky.
“I lived in a rat-infested apartment when I
was 14 years old. It’s easy to look on the outside and see that my career grew
very fast but I got told ‘no’ many times and I put my blood, sweat and tears
into my career,” she tells news.com.au
Her career
trajectory may not have been as smooth as it looks, but nevertheless, she did
win an Oscar for Best Actress for Silver Linings Playbook at
the astounding age of 22.
“Yes, I’ve
peaked,” she says, dryly. “I grew up a little quicker because of it but I don’t
know how it would have been to live my life any differently.”
These
days Lawrence has built a strong team around her. What is she like as a boss?
“Well, I have
never beat someone up, but there’s still time,” she jokes.
“I’ve found my
voice where nowadays if a person has done something wrong, where I have to
reprimand or go really cruel and mean, I do it in a funny way. I am able to say
what I need to get across, like ‘F**k you; you f**ked up, you asshole. Don’t
ever put me in a ball gown when I am the most overdressed person in the room
ever again. I hate your guts,’” she says.
“Hopefully when
that happens everybody knows I am joking. Either that, or everybody who works
for me thinks I am a nightmare.”
Lawrence
is in London to promote X-Men: Apocalypse, in which she reprises her role as
Mystique (Raven Darkholme).
In this film Raven becomes a mentor to the new generation of X-Men, including
Aussie newcomer Kodi Smit-McPhee, who plays Nightcrawler. “It was cool. I think
Raven has learned so much and has been through so much that it was nice for her
to come to this place where she is starting to give back and teach the others
some of her own lessons and (to avoid) the mistakes.”
Speaking
of mistakes, Lawrence says of her life off-screen, “I wouldn’t change anything
about my life. Every mistake I’ve made I have learned and become who I am for
it, so I wouldn’t really take them back. Well, maybe there are a few,” she
laughs.
Family is
important to Lawrence, who grew up with two older brothers, their father, a
construction worker, and mother, a children’s camp manager. Though they hail
from Kentucky, the home of the famous Kentucky Derby horse race (which occurred
the day before our chat), she says, “The Derby was for rich people, so we
watched that on TV with fondness. I don’t think I’ve actually been to the
Derby. That s**t’s expensive.
“Most people
from where I’m from, we’d do (Kentucky) Oaks, the day before where they race
the fillies.”
But surely, now
that Lawrence is a millionaire many times over, she can afford the odd flutter?
“No. I work too hard for my money. I get pissed if I waste two dollars,” she
says. “That makes me upset.”
Lawrence is
undoubtedly one of the most accomplished actors in the world both critically
and commercially. When asked what she values more — the big pay cheque or the
endless litany of awards, she quips, “There’s no way for me to answer that
question and still be likeable.”
It’s that
signature frankness that makes her one of Hollywood’s most endearing
celebrities.
No comments:
Post a Comment