Jennifer Lawrence Spills the Beans on Her "Annoying" Past Self

Break out the popcorn, folks, because Jennifer Lawrence is giving us the backstage pass to her life in Hollywood that we didn't know we needed. In a quite candid chat with The New Yorker, the Academy Award winner admitted her hesitation when it comes to talking to the press during her movie promotions. Lawrence, a familiar face in the tabloid world for a decade and a half, famously confessed to acting powerhouse Viola Davis, "Every time I do an interview, I think, 'I can’t do this to myself again.’ I feel like I lose so much control over my craft when I have to do press for a movie."

Looking back on her previous interviews, Lawrence cringed and lamented, "Oh, no. So hyper. So embarrassing." Initially, her refreshing frankness and self-deprecating personality won the public's heart. However, her vulnerability turned bitter as people began to accuse her of being phony.

“Sure, it was my authentic personality, but it also served as a defense mechanism,” Lawrence defended her lively interview demeanor. She amusedly admitted remembering her too honest declarations such as, "I’m not like that! I poop my pants every day!” Lawrence also acknowledged Ariana Grande’s teasing impersonation of her on ‘Saturday Night Live’ (‘SNL’) as rather accurate.

The ‘SNL’ skit from 2016, featured a moment where Grande, playing Lawrence, confessed to being a "snackaholic" and her irresistible love for Pringles. The public backlash against Lawrence reached such a toxic level that it became "uninhabitable," as she told The New Yorker. The rejection, she felt, was not for her movies or politics, but her, her personality.

Past interviews reveal Lawrence's openness about the necessity of her Hollywood hiatus after making 16 movies in six years, which unfortunately included a few box office duds. In a 2021 chat with Vanity Fair, Lawrence shared, "I just think everybody had gotten sick of me, and this included me. It seemed as if I was always doing something wrong. As simple as walking a red carpet was turned into reason for critique.”

She further expressed her struggle with people-pleasing, feeling as if she constantly had to validate her existence and make others happy. However, this philosophy got knocked down after facing public dissatisfaction, making her realize that work or career isn’t the ultimate comfort zone for one's soul.

Recently on “The Graham Norton Show,” Lawrence revealed being peaceful with her decision to retreat from Hollywood. Although the reasoning behind it is somewhat vague, it's clear she needed some space: "Hollywood is intense… I would've been okay, but it would’ve also upset me deeply."

Lawrence is back in the hot seat, promoting her recent psychodrama, “Die My Love” starring Robert Pattinson, directed by Lynne Ramsay. The Cannes premiere film sees Lawrence caught in a whirlwind of marriage and motherhood. The film was such an intriguing piece for Martin Scorsese, he personally persuaded Lawrence to come back and rock the role. The “The Awakening” adaptation they initially considered was sidelined as Scorsese thought it lacked the challenge Lawrence needed.

Scorsese boosted Lawrence's morale by saying, "You know what? This is the challenge you should be doing. Go for it and don’t look back!" The intriguing “Die My Love” is all set to hit the theaters on Nov. 7, by Mubi. For more of Lawrence's reflective journey, head to The New Yorker.