Complex : 10 Best & Most Jennifer Lawrence Moments
POP CULTURE
Jennifer Lawrence’s 10 Most "Jennifer Lawrence" Moments
Ah, Jennifer Lawrence. Every man and woman either wants to be her friend, or simply wants her. Not since Audrey Hepburn has a Hollywood actress acquired this much commercial success and critical acclaim in such a short period of time.
Why has JLaw become Hollywood's biggest star? If we had to guess, we'd say it’s her triple threat status—she’s got the looks, the acting chops, and a brassy, crass personality that endears her to everyone. JLaw is somehow just as amazing off-screen as she is in movies—when she's answering an interviewer’s clichèd question, when she's rambling on about cheese pizza, or when she's tripping over her own dress at every big awards show. Fittingly, these moments happen so often that they've become part of her personal brand. You can't watch anything Jennifer Lawrence related without expecting all of the above.
In honor of her latest blockbuster film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1, here are Jennifer Lawrence's most "Jennifer Lawrence" moments— all of that unscripted, off-the-cuff stuff that made her America’s sweetheart.
1.When Jennifer Met Jack Nicholson
Location: 85th Academy Awards
Date: Feb. 24, 2013
Key quote: “Do I look like a new girlfriend?”
JLaw seems to be bewildered and starstruck by her own success. Check out her facial expression when Jack Nicholson sneaks up behind her on live television. It's not the first (nor the last) time that Jack has propositioned a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. But only one woman gave it back as well as they got it. This is awkward comedy gold.
2. A Box of Lies
Location: The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon
Date: May 15, 2014
Key quote: “Inside my box is a very curious thing… it's not the first time I've said that.”
There's something about Jimmy Fallon's earnest enthusiasm that loosens up his guests, and when you combine that with JLaw's offbeat spontaneity, you get an instant classic. Look at how game she is for this silly little exercise. The way she indulges Jimmy in that "Why doesn't anyone wanna dance with us?" bit at the end is so god damn endearing. It's so awesome! I love it! It's my favorite!
3. Yummy Squirrels
Location: The Colbert Report
Date: Nov. 13, 2014
Key quote: “Jennifer, you've even eaten squirrel chili…”
Jlaw suffers from the best kind of diarrhea of the mouth. If an interviewer doesn't cut her off, she'll go off on tangents, and she's bound to say something silly, random, or just plain weird. This recent clip from The Colbert Report is the perfect example—the native Kentuckian somehow admits to skinning squirrels and eating squirrel chili in a span of, like, 10 seconds. And it works.
4. F**k "The Fappening"
Location: Vanity Fair
Date: Oct. 7, 2014
Key quote: “It is not a scandal. It is a sex crime.”
“The Fappening"—we've got to talk about it. Hackers posted close to a hundred stolen naked pictures of JLaw all over the Internet in September in a massive invasion of privacy. After about a month of measured silence, Lawrence responded in the best way possible by publishing her own consenting photos in Vanity Fair, and appropriately shaming the hell out of the hackers. “Just because I’m a public figure, just because I’m an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting,” Lawrence said. Her words were so powerful, that several Reddit users and 4Chan members even came forward to apologize and express remorse.
5. When The Body and The Brain Don't Communicate
Location: 85th Academy Awards
Date: Feb. 24, 2013
In 2013, Lawrence won the Oscar for Best Lead Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. She accepted this award with particular grace: by tripping and falling over her own dress. One year later, at the 2014 Academy Awards, Lawrence repeated her awkward off-stage performance. Hands flailing, she took another spill, this time on the red carpet. JLaw just laughed them off, because WTF else should you do?
6. Did I Do That?
Location: The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Madrid, Spain Press Conference
Date: Nov. 13, 2013
Key quote: *Mortified Silence*
This is the moment that launched a thousand GIFs. JLaw rips open a package of mints, accidentally spills them all over herself, and gives what might be the most guilty, pathetic look in the world. I mean, how can you not? You know?
7. Wetting the Bed
Location: Conan
Date: Dec. 18, 2013
Key quote: “I couldn't be stopped by medication or anything.”
Conan O'Brien has that manic, creative energy, and it complements JLaw's randomness perfectly. In this clip, Lawrence discusses her hyperactivity, her childhood nickname "Nitro," and of course, her bedwetting at the age of 13. This is what it looks like to turn an L into a W.
8. The Body Image Advocate
Location: Elle
Date: December 2012
Key quote: “I’m never going to starve myself for a part. I don’t want little girls to be like, ‘Oh, I want to look like Katniss, so I’m going to skip dinner’ … I was trying to get my body to look fit and strong — not thin and underfed.”
JLaw is an ideal role model for young girls because she has the self-awareness to recognize that how she carries herself will have an effect on her fans, whether she wants it to or not.
9. No Spoilers!
Location: 20th Screen Actors Guild Awards
Date: Jan. 18, 2014
Key quote: “I don't even know what to say… I can't… I can't…”
No one likes spoilers. It's easy to fall behind in your TV-watching (especially when you're, like, you know, filming blockbusters) and in this binge-watching era of Netflix, it takes unbelievable discipline to avoid those water-cooler conversations. JLaw probably thought that the SAG red carpet was a spoiler-free zone. But then, two entertainment news reporters came along and ruined Season 3 of Homeland just as she was fangirling over Damian Lewis. You can see the anger boil on Lawrence's face. We've been there.
10. The Press Conference
Location: 85th Academy Awards
Date: Feb. 24, 2013
Key quote: “I feel like I'm picking people to make fun of me.”
Here it is —the press conference that made America swoon. Hot off her Oscar win for Silver Linings Playbook, Lawrence spoke to a group of reporters backstage, and gave witty response after witty response to a series of inane questions. JLaw has a unique gift of magnetism that just can't be taught by a PR agent. She seems like everything you could want in another human—she's cute, funny, bright, and barely appropriate. What a gawd.
