Interviews of Jennifer Lawrence
Small Talk With Jennifer Lawrence
This article originally appeared at: http://www.citytv.com/...
Written by: Brian McKechnie on June 17th, 2010
This piece was supposed to be a video interview with Jennifer Lawrence, originally booked during her press tour promoting the critically acclaimed film, Winter's Bone. Due to a scheduling conflict, the video portion didn't work out and I ended up on the phone with the 19-year-old actress after her long day, filled with local media interviews. While being very gracious and sweet, she understandably wasn't that talkative when I got to her, which felt appropriate since her character in Winter's Bone, Ree Dolly, isn't either.
"She's strong and stubborn and she's very competitive...like me," Lawrence says of Ree, before adding, "I thought it was the best role for a female I've seen. I love that she doesn't take no for an answer."
Based on the novel by Daniel Woodrell, Winter's Bone tells the story of Ree -- a backwoods teenager looking for her drug-dealing father in a mountain town where everyone appears to be related and no one wants to talk. It's a grim, cold film that already has Oscar buzz surrounding it, especially for Lawrence, who delivers a stunning performance.
When asked how she mentally prepared for the part that included some heavily dramatic scenes, her answer is very modest.
"It's imagination. I don't ever feel I have to go to any place or do anything special."
Before Winter's Bone, Lawrence appeared The Burning Plain and the television series The Bill Engvall Show. Growing up in Kentucky, she says she always dreamed of being an actress but never thought it was a possibility.
"I was always an actress; I just didn't know it. I always thought I'd be a doctor," she says.
Lawrence has nothing but praise and respect for Winter's Bone director Debra Granik, who inspired Lawrence to want to direct one day herself.
"She's absolutely brilliant and she thinks on a whole other playing field than we do," she says. "The way she thinks is just different and her attention to detail is incredible and I think she's one of the best directors I've ever worked with."
What the audience takes away from Winter's Bone, she believes, is up to them.
"It's going to be a different experience for everyone and I'd hate to throw out a wide, 'I hope you feel this when you see the movie!' It's such a personal experience," she sums up.
Up next for the young star is The Beaver with Mel Gibson and Jodie Foster (Foster also directs). Lawrence says she loves it and describes it as, "a very dark comedy...very weird."
