Jennifer Lawrence, now on screen as the Mystique in “X-Men: First Class,” tells Speakeasy that she had her doubts becoming an actor.
She tells the website that at first-acting was not something she felt she was good at, but then at some point it all just clicked. “The first movie I starred it, “Poker House” (2008), there was a lot of emotional stuff in it. It was very dark. I remember just being able to do it. I wondered if this was some sort of fluke and that tomorrow I’d fail. But somehow I just knew what to do. Then again, I might still suck.”
The actress says the emotions she experiences while filming vary significantly when she sits down to watch the finished product. “Before they start the movie I’m sitting there terrified. I always pray that I’ll think that I’m good, or think that I’m pretty or that the movie’s great even if it isn’t, because it’s such a bad feeling when you’re watching something terrible. There’s a lot less mixed emotions when you’re making the film than when you’re actually watching it. But knowing that the movie is out there, that other people are watching it and liking it–that’s why you make movies.”
Despite her earlier doubts, Lawrence believes acting is what she is meant to do, that it is her innate gift. “Doctors have an innate talent that I don’t have. I can take as many singing classes as I want, but I’m never going to sound like Christina Aguilera. Yes, acting is an innate talent, but there are plenty of them.”
When preparing to audition for the role of Katniss Everdeen, Lawrence thought long and hard how to approach the role. “You have to remember that she’s a hunter. Her eyes are sharper and she’s taking in everything. She’s always ready. That was one of the biggest mind changes. Even when she’s listening to you talk, she’s listening to the air conditioning or the birds outside.”
via Speakeasy
