Acting Healed Jennifer Lawrence from Anxiety, but This Movie Put Her in Therapy
J-Law was an anxious girl before she became an actress, but even though her job helped her initially, some roles were way too taxing on her mental health.
Jennifer Lawrence used to be a happy, energetic, and creative child, but after she joined a school, all these qualities faded away. The young girl was left with social anxiety because of the lack of school friends, insecurity, and severe hyperactivity because of all the energy that was still inside that she couldn’t let out.
Young J-Law started experimenting to see what she could do to help herself feel better, and after other methods didn’t work, she discovered that performing on stage, acting, and seeing appreciation and recognition for her work was what helped. From that point on, Jennifer knew what she had to do in her life, and she made a choice.
Convincing her parents that was what she needed was another thing, but the future actress succeeded. Jennifer Lawrence started acting at 16, and it went splendidly.
“One day, I begged my parents to take me to a casting. We went to New York, and that’s where I started acting. Just on stage, my mother saw the change that was taking place in me. She saw my anxieties disappear. She found her daughter, the one who had this light and joy before school,” J-Law shared with Madame Figaro.
However, as her first movie, Lawrence undertook a role in 2008’s The Poker House, and it took a toll on her mental health. After portraying a character that went through numerous traumatic experiences, Jennifer admitted that the darkness that this act put her through lingered with her after the movie was done.
“With The Poker House, I was 16 and it was my first movie. Now, fortunately, I know how to leave the character when I leave work. In fact, it leaves me after [the director] calls cut. But with that [movie], I just felt I had to take all of it on, and it did take a toll on me,” Lawrence explained to Filmmaker Magazine.
After The Poker House, young Jennifer Lawrence had to go to therapy to get rid of the post-effects of playing a dark and tormented character. While not the most pleasant first experience for the aspiring actress, it led to her learning to tackle hard roles — and eventually, to J-Law becoming one of the most famous performers.
Sources: Madame Figaro, Filmmaker Magazine