海角大神

Jennifer Lawrence has already enjoyed a remarkably unique career path. Born in Louisville, Kentucky, Lawrence had the nearly unheard of good fortune to be discovered on a visit to New York City when she was just fourteen years old. After a good deal of goading on the part of agents (who saw a rare talent in Lawrence), her parents agreed to allow her to stay in NYC and begin auditioning.

After a few commercial and guest star roles, she was cast in the TBS television series The Bill Engvall Show. Lawrence went directly from the short-lived sitcom to the role that would secure her a Best Actress Oscar nomination at the tender age of twenty: playing Ree Dolly in Debra Granik鈥檚 Winter鈥檚 Bone. Shortly thereafter, Lawrence humanized Mystique, one of Marvel鈥檚 most beloved villainess鈥�, in .

Lawrence is now taking on her biggest challenge: the lead role in a film that is poised to (potentially) be a worldwide phenomenon, . In the film, Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen, a teenage girl from a dystopic future in which a fascistic Capital selects one boy and one girl from each of the twelve districts of the nation of Panem to fight to the death in an annual tournament called The Hunger Games. Katniss is forced to volunteer to fight when her much younger, much smaller sister is selected in that year鈥檚 lottery.

We had the chance to participate in a roundtable discussion with the Jennifer Lawrence at the Los Angeles press event for The Hunger Games, where we discussed (among other things) her propensity toward roles that involve hunting and the woods, the pressure that surrounds taking on a much-beloved character, learning how to act backwards from Woody Harrelson and the surreal experience of participating in a mall tour.

Screen Rant: What is it about these downtrodden, strong women who take care of children? What is this pattern that we鈥檙e seeing here in your career?聽

Jennifer Lawrence: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know, before I get the script I ask 鈥楧oes she like the forest, does she have younger siblings? (Laughing) Jodie Foster told me I鈥檇 look back at my career twenty years from now and see a pattern, and what it has to do with my life. But now I鈥檓 just like 鈥業 don鈥檛 know.鈥欌��

You do you see a through-line between this and Winter鈥檚 Bone?

JL: 鈥淵eah, they鈥檙e similar. Ree is much more of a walker at Katniss is more of a runner.鈥� (Laughs)

What was the most challenging aspect of this film as an adaptation?

JL: 鈥淭hat she was already in the minds of so many different people. When you鈥檙e coming out with a movie where nobody鈥檚 really seen the character before you can say 鈥榟ere it is.鈥� I鈥檓 playing a character that most people have already seen in their mind. That鈥檚 scary.鈥�

Did you have preconceived notions?

JL: 鈥淵eah, but that鈥檚 just what I did. I understood her in a certain way and my understanding informed my performance.鈥�

Speaking of scary, I hear you guys are doing mall tours, how鈥檚 that been?

JL: 鈥淵esterday was our first one and I felt like Justin Timberlake from 鈥�N Sync. It was nuts. One girl almost fainted. But it鈥檚 never over me. I sit in between the guys, and they start with Liam (Hemsworth) and they say 鈥楽ay something! Say something!鈥� And he speaks in his Australian accent and someone passes out, and I barely get a chance to put my name on the poster we鈥檙e signing before it鈥檚 slid over to Josh (Hutcherson). And it鈥檚, 鈥極h my god so I loved you in鈥︹�� and then crying. And I鈥檓 like 鈥業t鈥檚 okay. I practiced my signature for so long and I didn鈥檛 get to use it.鈥欌��

Is there a star in the middle of it?

JL: 鈥淭here was a heart, but I took the heart out.鈥�

What kind of physical training did you do to play Katniss?

JL: 鈥淔ree running for agility, archery, climbing, combat and yoga鈥�But that鈥檚 all.鈥�

How鈥檚 your archery now?

JL: 鈥淕ood. I had an Olympian train me, so if I couldn鈥檛 say 鈥榞ood鈥� it鈥檚 my fault.鈥�

How are your tree climbing skills?

JL: 鈥淎lso good if I have a harness.鈥� (Laughs)

Knowing that this is a franchise is fitness something you have to keep up?

JL: 鈥淲hen you鈥檙e in a movie called 鈥楾he Hunger Games鈥� when you鈥檙e not working you eat. But as far as exercise goes I like to stay in relatively good shape anyway, running and so on. And it鈥檚 also so that when training comes along I don鈥檛 have to start from square one. There is relative maintenance. Just being able to withstand cardio.鈥�

In the book, everything is conveyed from Katniss鈥� perspective. And the film is primarily from Katniss鈥� point-of-view as well. How many days off did you have during shooting?

JL: 鈥淣one. For a while I had Saturdays and Sundays, and then I had Sundays.鈥�

How useful was it to have the book and all those first person thoughts?

JL: 鈥淔or an actor it鈥檚 an amazing thing to have my character鈥檚 inner dialogue. It never happens.鈥�

At some point do you have to let go of the book?

JL: 鈥淵eah, when you鈥檙e making a film, the book is a good tool, but once you have the script and you鈥檙e making a movie, you have to let go of the book. I held onto the inner dialogue, but yes, you do have to let go.鈥�

You鈥檝e has a chance to work with some strong directors Debra Granik (Winter鈥檚 Bone) and Jodie Foster (The Beaver) how does Gary Ross stack up? What鈥檚 his style?

聽JL: 鈥淗e doesn鈥檛 have one. He can communicate with every single actor. He can make anything work. I鈥檓 better with technical stuff, just tell me what you don鈥檛 like and I鈥檒l fix it. Don鈥檛 tell me about what鈥檚 happening internally 鈥� that doesn鈥檛 work for me. Just tell me what鈥檚 right and what鈥檚 wrong, and he was very technical with me. With others he might give more emotional guidance, he could do that. He can work with any actor, he can communicate with the lighting director. He had a very specific vision and he never once gave that up. Which is hard when you鈥檙e doing a film, but to his credit he did it and the studio was amazing. He鈥檚 strong and he鈥檚 brilliant, but he listens to everybody. He鈥檚 artistically free.鈥�

You said that you like technical direction, is that something you consider when you take on projects now?

JL: 鈥淚t鈥檚 something I鈥檝e always looked at when I look at scripts. You can love a script but if it doesn鈥檛 have a good director it won鈥檛 be that.鈥�

And do you hope that they can adapt to your way of working?

JL: 鈥淣o, I like to adapt to their way of working. I love doing that. Each director鈥檚 so different and you have to adapt to a new way of doing something. That鈥檚 amazing to me; I love that. I don鈥檛 want a director to have to work around me, I think it鈥檚 more fun to come in on their thing.鈥�

Do you have a favorite scene in the movie?

JL: 鈥淵eah, the scene when Stanley Tucci (who plays talk-show host聽Caesar Flickerman in the film) interviews me before I go to the games. One because it鈥檚 just hilarious to see that, but also that鈥檚 the moment that Katniss realizes it鈥檚 a game, and if she wants to win she has to play along.鈥�

There is a sense that Katniss is playing to the camera. Do you have to be conscious of the moments where she is playing to the cameras and the audience that is observing the game and when she is being herself?

JL: 鈥淚 think it was important to her to not look weak when she was on the run. Some of that would be too complicated to think about. When she does find the camera, then yes, but otherwise it was鈥� running.鈥�

There鈥檚 an interesting stylistic choice where the camera is all around you. Sometimes it鈥檚 from behind, which you normally don鈥檛 see. Does that change your performance? Or do you have to ignore the camera?

JL: 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 ever let yourself be thrown by a camera. That鈥檚 never good for an actor. So, no, that鈥檚 also trusting your director. When you鈥檙e reading the script, you want to work with someone you trust so there鈥檚 nothing to worry about.鈥�

You鈥檙e working with veterans like Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, and Donald Sutherland here. Is there anything you have to be cognizant of, or is there anything you learn from going toe to toe with them?

JL: 鈥淚 always try to be a sponge and soak up as much as possible when I鈥檓 working with them.鈥�

What did your sponge soak up from Woody?

JL: (Laughs) (Does Beavis laugh) 鈥淲oody is the nicest person in the entire world, and you know he鈥檇 be the exact same person no matter what his job was. He鈥檚 just that guy from Texas, he can strike up a conversation with anybody. It鈥檚 just odd to see him on a movie set. He鈥檚 just one of the most incredible actors in the world, and he almost doesn鈥檛 fit onto a set. He鈥檚 just too relaxed 鈥� he鈥檚 got no airs about him. You see him hanging out, like someone brought their really nice cousin from Texas and then all of a sudden he does backwards acting. One time we were doing this scene where I stab a knife through his fingers and to do that you have to do everything backwards and they put it forwards in post. And so we would start and everything would go backwards and Woody said 鈥業鈥檓 even doing backwards acting cause when I鈥檓 here I start to feel my desire for the jam.鈥� (Laughs) So he would go back and then he鈥檇 see the jam and want in. He鈥檚 full of gems like that.鈥�

When we were talking to Liam and Josh, it was brought up that twenty years ago we probably would have seen Katniss be a guy and the love interests be women. I鈥檓 just curious from your perspective how you feel about that shift, being the strong female character at the end of this story?

聽JL: 鈥淚t鈥檚 great because I feel like we鈥檝e gotten to the place where we have strong female leads. We鈥檝e got Lara Croft as the female James Bond and we have someone who鈥檚 not even the female James Bond. We have a young girl being thrown in to this situation and not knowing if she鈥檚 going to survive it. It says a lot.鈥�

Well, to be fair, Lara Croft is very sexualized, while you can鈥檛 say your character is objectified in the same way a lot of women are in these movies.

JL: 鈥淚t is great.鈥�

How did you steal yourself up emotionally for your scenes with Rue (seen above), especially your final scenes with her?

JL: 鈥淭hat was awful. Reading it in the book, and reading the script it was terrible, and then meeting Amandla Stenberg (the actress who plays Rue). The scene was hard because I knew that it meant that she would wrap. And then working with her 鈥� you meet her 鈥� she鈥檚 the funniest, sweetest little girl鈥�she鈥檚 amazing.鈥�

She kept telling us you were the one making jokes in between takes during the death scene.

JL: 鈥淵eah, that鈥檚 true. I had to do something. There鈥檚 a funny picture of us in her grave laughing. But we were all thinking that people would leave the theater during that scene鈥�but then, there were some hilarious moments for us. (Laughs)鈥�

Roth Cornet blogs at .