The Hunger Games comes out on March 23 and star Jennifer Lawrence should be expecting her popularity to soon explode.
The 21 year-old knew that taking on the role of Katniss Everdeen, the heroine from Suzanne Collins’ incredibly successful series, would alter her lifestyle.
In an interview with Access Hollywood, Lawrence said, “I gave myself three days. I knew from reading the books that I loved The Hunger Games, I just didn’t know if it was worth changing my life for. I’m at a peaceful place right now…Nobody’s staked outside my house. I wanted to make sure that when I said yes I wouldn’t regret it. And I don’t regret it.”
Lawrence came onto the scene in 2010 with her Oscar-nominated turn in the indie Winter’s Bone. A young actress who already has critical acclaim, Lawrence wanted to be sure she was taking her career in the right direction. She said, “I would have said no because I was scared, and then I would have been that bitter actress telling my grandkids, ‘I’m the one that turned it down.’”
But despite her starring role in the upcoming blockbuster, Lawrence has little in common with other actresses her age. She said, “In some ways, it’s a hard life, but it’s a great professional life. I’m doing what I love, and then I get months and months of rest. I have a lot of money for a 21 year-old. I can’t stand it when actors complain.”
Adding to her differing outlook, Lawrence admits she’s not into the starvation game that other actresses get into. She said, “I don’t diet. I do exercise! But I don’t diet. You can’t work when you’re hungry, you know?” But in order to get into the character of Katniss, Lawrence had to gain some athleticism and strength. “I hate saying, ‘I like exercising.’ I want to punch people who say that in the face. But it’s nice being in shape for a movie, because they basically do it all for you. It’s like, ‘Here’s your trainer. This is what you can eat.’”
It looks like they cast the perfect role model to play a female powerhouse.
