Jennifer Lawrence Almost Rejected Hunger Games Role Out of...Twilight Shame
J-Law’s career almost didn’t begin as the young actress wanted to skip The Hunger Games out of fear it would be just another Twilight rip-off. What a mistake that would’ve been!
Today, Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most prominent and universally beloved actresses in the movie industry. Back in the day, when she was just an aspiring young performer, one breakthrough role changed the trajectory of her career — and, as we’re sure you know, it was her Hunger Games portrayal of Katniss Everdeen.
Ever since the first Hunger Games movie, both critics and the audience recognized J-Law’s acting talent, and her life changed as Hollywood’s doors flung right open before her. Later, Jennifer Lawrence would win her first Oscar at just 22 years old and become the youngest actress to get the Academy Award ever…
But all of that almost didn’t happen.
The Hunger Games franchise followed closely after the success of Twilight, and many people saw it as just another rip-off that would ultimately fail. Jennifer Lawrence was among them, so when she was invited to play the lead role in the live-action adaptation, she unironically considered flat-out rejecting the offer.
“I’m so grateful. Those films changed my life in the best way possible, and I remember thinking, ‘Okay, this is ‘cause Twilight had come out, so we had kind of seen these novels and what that really means.’ I was like, ‘Okay, there will come a time when you will regret this…’ And I have to say, I’ve never regretted one day of it,” Lawrence shared with BBC Radio 1.
The actress admitted that it was largely thanks to her mother’s advice that she decided to take the gig despite her initial doubts — and it was the best decision she could’ve made. The Hunger Games movies changed everything for Jennifer Lawrence and jump-started her career in the most efficient way imaginable.
It’s kind of ridiculous to think that J-Law could’ve missed out on her entire career just because of that weird “Twilight shame.” Thankfully, her love for the character of Katniss Everdeen and her mother’s advice ensured she didn’t make such a mistake.
Source: BBC Radio 1 via YouTube