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An Actress on the Brink

posted by Women & Hollywood
Wednesday, June 9, 2010 at 1:46pm CDT

Photograph by Nino Muñoz

Jennifer Lawrence’s performance in Winter’s Bone which opens on Friday is staggeringly good. It is one of the most honest, realistic, heartbreaking performances I have seen in a long, long time. It feels to me that we have our first Oscar caliber performance of the year.

This 19-year-old (who will be 20 this summer) has been in the business for about five years and this is her breakthrough role. She carries this movie. She is riveting. But it’s a bleak film and her next film The Beaver starring Mel Gibson and directed by Jodie Foster is also supposedly intense.

So what’s a young actress who is about to breakout do to make sure people know she’s a young pretty thing about to break through and not a serious actress only drawn to intense roles?

Take most of her clothes off and talk to Esquire. (FYI – I picked the tamest photo)

Is this really what a young woman needs to do to show that she is not only a “serious” actress? I mean isn’t the whole point to show that you are acting?

Anyway, I really hope she doesn’t go down the dark path that many a young woman is forced to walk nowadays. Judging from some of her quotes in the Esquire piece, Hollywood has not yet beaten down her individuality.

“Yesterday I had to do an interview. I was in a horrible mood. I couldn’t think of basic words. I could see my publicist in the background, mouthing things to say. They want you to be likable all the time, and I’m just not.”

I really hope she doesn’t become that boring, vanilla likable actress cause the talent that this young woman has is limitless.

Be smart, be careful, be yourself.

You Have Now Heard of Jennifer Lawrence (Esquire)