Why Did Jennifer Lawrence Have to Lie and Disguise Herself for This $3K Movie Role?
Jennifer Lawrence is one of the most prominent actresses of her generation, and nobody doubts her talent these days. But a while back, she had to fight and deceive just to get a $3K/week lead role!
As of now, Jennifer Lawrence is just about as well-established in the industry as one can wish for: she's world-famous, she's rich, and she has an amazing movie resume.
Jennifer has worked with the biggest Hollywood legends, and she's pretty much one of them now.
But just a dozen years ago, the situation was oh so different, and the actress had to claw her way to a role that only paid $3K per week, not millions.
The movie that really jump-started Jennifer's career was 2010's The Winter Bone. The actress received proper recognition for her lead role in the film, but she wasn't accepted right away; in fact, she was rejected.
Lawrence had to big-brain her way through the casting process to get the role: after failing the audition in one city, she flew to another and tried there, in disguise!
"When Winter's Bone turned me down, they were doing LA casting that I went to, and then they were like, 'no thank you.' Then, they opened up casting in New York, and I flew to New York and just kind of re-entered like a stranger.
I think they knew that they had seen me before, but maybe they were just scared at that point," jokes Jennifer Lawrence.
Despite having to trick the casting director, the actress bagged the role in the end... But she still had to accept the terms she wouldn't have been comfortable with these days.
In 2021, Jennifer famously received a fat paycheck of $25M for starring in Don't Look Up with Leonardo DiCaprio.
But just a dozen years prior to that, her acting in The Winter's Bone only cost its creators $3K per week!
This summed up to a petty $10K paycheck by the end of shooting — a sum that would've been an utter insult for Lawrence these days.
"I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early. I didn't want to keep fighting over millions of dollars that, frankly, due to two franchises, I don't need," shared the actress.
After The Winter's Bone, however, Jennifer Lawrence received the recognition she deserved... And learned her lesson when it came to payment.
Since those days, the actress's salary has increased to several millions per movie, and she likes it that way.
Source: TheThings, The Hollywood Reporter