Jennifer Lawrence Reveals Why She Felt Fans Needed Her To Take A Break From Acting

Jennifer Lawrence opened up about why she decided to take a break from acting. It makes sense considering the reception of recent movies

By Erika Hanson | Published

This article is more than 2 years old

jennifer lawrence

Not many newcomers to Hollywood have had an emergence quite like Jennifer Lawrence. In under a decade, she starred in over 20 films, received three Golden Globe nominations, took home a coveted Best Actress award from the Academy, and was the highest-paid female actress in Hollywood for a while. But after her long stint in the industry, the actress vanished from the big screen for over two years. Now as Jennifer Lawrence preps for her return to film, she reminisced on what it was like being one of Hollywood’s top actresses under constant public watch and the reason she felt fans needed her to take a break from acting.

In an interview for the cover story with Vanity Fair, Jennifer Lawrence reveals her epiphany moment that led to her stepping away from the industry. According to the 31-year-old actress, her decision came from the aftermath of her last four films and their general low ratings and box office figures. Lawrence had a lot to say, but at one point gave a pretty lengthy reveal about why Jennifer Lawrence chose to step away.

“I was not pumping out the quality that I should have. I just think everybody had gotten sick of me. I’d gotten sick of me. It had just gotten to a point where I couldn’t do anything right. If I walked a red carpet, it was, ‘Why didn’t she run?’… I think that I was people-pleasing for the majority of my life. Working made me feel like nobody could be mad at me…And then I felt like I reached a point where people were not pleased just by my existence.

jennifer lawrence

It’s no secret that Jennifer Lawrence’s last four films, Passengers, Mother!, Red Sparrow, and Dark Phoenix didn’t have anywhere near the success of her previous films. Her last released film which saw her take the role of Mystique once more was widely considered a box office disaster. And coming off of back-to-back revered Academy films (Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle) and a lead protagonist role in the smash young adult dystopian series (The Hunger Games) it’s easy to see how the turn in her successful roles could play a huge impact on Jennifer Lawrence’s career.

Audiences are quick to judge Hollywood’s top stars, and that judgment has not always been friendly to Jennifer Lawrence. As the actress seemed to constantly be caught up in the media’s attention, the critics that once lavished over her seemingly turned on the actress. But if anything good can ever come from a highly scrutinized media eye, Jennifer Lawrence seemed to make the most of the negative comments. Likewise, instead of continuing to bank on popularity and take on any role thrown at her, she took time off to reflect.

Jennifer Lawrence is set to return to the movies with Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up. The satirical science fiction black comedy will be released on Christmas Eve to Netflix. Star Jennifer Lawrence and Leonardo DiCaprio are two low-level astronomers attempting to warn mankind about an approaching comet that will destroy the earth.

Additionally, Jennifer Lawrence is already slated to also appear in the movie Red, White, and Water alongside Brian Tyree Henry, Samira Wiley, Linda Emon, and Stephen McKinley Henderson. Very few details on the upcoming project have been released, and all we know so far is it is set to be a drama surrounding a US soldier who suffers a traumatic brain injury while fighting in Afghanistan as he struggles to adjust to life back at home. 

jennifer lawrence

Much to fans of the young actresses’ delight, Jennifer Lawrence’s comeback looks promising. Don’t Look Up is already teasing at an Academy run as initial critic reviews have been positive. While we have to wait another month to see the Hollywood beauty make her return, we are sure that her time off to reflect will pay off.