Celebrity Profile: Jennifer Lawrence

Last month at the Academy Awards, twenty-two year old Jennifer Lawrence took home the Oscar for best actress.  Her portrayal of the troubled widow Tiffany Maxwell in “Silver Linings Playbook” was brilliant as it proved her versatility.  Although she is internationally known for bringing Katniss Everdeen to life from the “Hunger Games” series, there is much more to Lawrence than these two roles.

Of recently, Lawrence has been getting lots of attention for her presence at the Oscars ceremony.  She looked elegant that evening wearing a light pink Dior Haute Couture ball gown with a string of diamonds draped backwards down her back.  Compared to how she looked in the past, Lawrence appeared very grown-up.  She had finally found a look that reflects her successful awards record. 

Her reaction to everything that night was so natural.  A celebrity amongst celebrities (Oscar Winners at that) she was star struck.  Seeing someone in her position so genuinely excited was refreshing.  Lawrence was so caught up in the moment of winning an Academy Award, and she didn’t let her ego get to her.  From having Jack Nicholson crash her post-Oscar interview to falling up the stars to receive her Oscar (where, to her excitement, Hugh Jackman helped her up!), she remained graceful. 

Surprisingly, as a child Lawrence never took any drama classes or acting lessons.  She participated in her local theatre growing up.  When she was fourteen, she decided she wanted to pursue a career in acting, and convinced her parents to sojourn to New York City for her to get an agent.  Once they found one, Lawrence managed to graduate from high school two years early in order to get a jump start on her career. 

Although may people recognize her solely as Katniss from the film adaptation of Suzanne Collin’s “Hunger Games” trilogy, she has had other acting gigs beforehand.  Her first big break was a regular cast member on the Bill Engvall Show, which won her the Young Artist Award for Outstanding Young Performer in a TV Series.  Her on-screen presence here brought her recognition as an actress with potential.  Lawrence’s career picked up as she was cast in “The Garden Party,” “The Poker House” and “The Burning Plain.”

“Winter’s Bone” was the breakthrough in J-Law’s career.  In this American indie film, her portrayal as Ree Dolly proved herself as a strong actress.  Countless awards and nominations from the Academy, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globes showed the world that Lawrence has an ability to take on diverse, challenging roles. And do a good job at it, at that. 

In 2012, Lawrence appeared in three films.  The first, “The Hunger Games” launched her into international stardom.  Highly successful, the remaining part of this franchise is sure to make waves in theatres as she returns next to Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth.

Sadly, “House at the End of the Street” was a failure, in general and as a horror film.  With a clichéd storyline and a terrible script, I could easily argue this was a comedy. Definitely limiting Lawrence, I had little hope that her career would be able to pick up beyond “Hunger Games.”

However, “Silver Linings Playbook” was the game changer for J-Law.  With a crapshoot of a career thus far, this film confirmed my belief that the young actress has potential.  Among the talents of Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro and Jacki Weaver, her performance was captivating.  The challenging role was anything but overlooked, considering the Golden Globe and Oscar she received from it. 

With a down-to-earth attitude about her, I can proudly say I consider J-Law a role model for me, especially after her Academy Award ceremony antics.  She is the youngest actress to receive two Academy Award nominations for best actress, ever.  Lawrence said, “I like when things are hard; I'm very competitive. If something seems difficult or impossible, it interests me.”  I anticipate seeing her take on more challenging roles in the future, as she will be able to handle anything that comes her way.