Jennifer Lawrence Inspired Millions of Women by Refusing to Do One Thing for The Hunger Games
Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most talented actresses of her generation. Having started her career as a teenager with guest roles on TV, her journey to becoming the world’s highest-paid actress in 2015 and 2016. She made her film debut with a supporting role in 2008’s Garden Party, and she has evidently been a trailblazer ever since.
Starring as the shapeshifting mutant superhero Mystique in Matthew Vaughn’s 2011 movie X-Men: First Class catapulted Jennifer Lawrence to worldwide recognition. Another role that the actress is widely recognized for is the protagonist of the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games trilogy Katniss Everdeen. Lawrence has never been one to hesitate to give her best, but she refused to fulfill one request for the role.
Jennifer Lawrence Declined Doing One Particular Thing for The Hunger Games
Actors are often asked to undergo some changes to make themselves fit for the role they have signed up for. From cutting off their hair to learning new skills or even wearing prosthetics, it is not uncommon for actors to be asked to modify a part of themselves. Putting on some weight or losing some is another thing that is very commonly asked of actors.
Jennifer Lawrence obviously stands no exception when it comes to these changes, and she has always been known to be game for such things. After all, she did learn chopping wood and skinning squirrels for her role in 2010’s Winter Bone, which turned out to be her breakthrough.
The Don’t Look Up actress changed her body structure for her archery training for the role of Katniss Everdeen, but refused to lose ten pounds for it, and for good reason. In an interview with SciFiNow in 2013, she said:
“I was very adamant about that, because I think that our industry doesn’t take enough responsibility for what it does to our society, about having these unrealistic expectations, and I don’t want to be part of that.”
Over and over again, Lawrence has proved that besides being an excellent actress, she is also a very thoughtful person, who actually cares about what she brings to her audience. Her refusal to fulfill such a request so early on in her career could have cost her the role so it is truly appreciable that she chose to stand for the right thing.
Jennifer Lawrence’s Reasoning for Refusing to Lose Weight for The Hunger Games Role
More times than not, actors are expected to change themselves unrealistically to fit into the image for a role that the producers or directors think will appeal to the audiences. Not only are such changes potentially harmful to the actors’ health but also detrimental to society as these roles often leave an indelible mark on the viewers.
When Jennifer Lawrence was asked to lose weight for the role, money was the last thing she was worried about as she did not want the young audiences to perceive Katniss as this unattainable beauty. Talking to SciFiNow, she said:
“I was like, ‘We have control over this image; we have control over this role model. ‘Why would we make her something unobtainable and thin?’ This is a person that young girls — well, all women, but mainly young girls — will be looking up to and are going to want to look like her, and we have control over it, so why not make her strong? Why not make her beautiful and healthy and fit?”
Thankfully, the studio understood where Jennifer Lawrence was coming from and actually listened to her instead of looking for a replacement that would fulfill their needs.
