Does anyone else remember about 18 months ago when Jennifer Lawrence was an untouchable internet darling? The Oscar winning actress has an almost magical blend of stunning beauty and girl next door charm. Her interactions with interviewers and fans at press junkets and red carpet events have cemented her as ‘one of us’, a movie star who doesn’t seem so far removed from what we deem as “real”.
It doesn’t hurt that she can act either, earning an Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone and a win for Silver Linings Playbook. So let’s take a look at her strongest performances.
5. Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone
The role that brought Lawrence to the attention of the media and the public. Starring as Ree Dolly, a teenager on a quest to find her drug addicted Father and save her family (perfect Oscar fodder). Lawrence was thrown into the role, learning to chop wood and skin squirrels in preparation.
The film received rave reviews from critics who particularly praised Lawrence and it also gained her the Oscar nomination for Best Actress.
4. Aurora in Passengers
OK, to be perfectly honest here, I didn’t think much of Passengers, but that’s another story for another day. Lawrence does well with her role nonetheless, as writer Aurora who is woken early from her space slumber by (creepy) Chris Pratt to join him in his isolation as the spaceship they’re on slowly falls apart.
Lawrence doesn’t have much to do or play with until Michael Sheen imparts the truth on her and she unleashes her full hell bent fury on Pratt.
3. Mystique in The X-Men Franchise
For three X-Men films – First Class, Days of Future Past, Apocalypse – Lawrence took on the role of Raven Darkholme aka Mystique, one of the most memorable mutants in the X-Men universe with her bright blue skin and red hair. Mystique was given a bigger role in the new trilogy than the original movies where the character was played by Rebecca Romijn who served as not much more than Magneto’s sidekick.
Lawrence was given a more complicated and conflicted Mystique to play, one who struggled constantly throughout the movies with accepting her mutation and trying to find a place in a world that fears her. In Days of Future Past, she was a key player whose assassination of Bolivar Trask would bring about a world where mutants where hunted and exterminated by giant robots called sentinals (the big pink and purple ones from the 90’s cartoons).
Even after the underwhelming Apocalypse, Lawrence looks set to reprise her role in the upcoming Simon Kinberg sequel, Dark Phoenix, for a fourth time next year.
2. Tiffany Maxwell in Silver Linings Playbook
Bereaved, unhinged and lost, Tiffany Maxwell is trying to piece her life back together after the death of her husband in a role that saw her take home the Oscar. Starring alongside Bradley Copper, a man suffering from bipolar disorder, the film paints a raw and unflinching picture of loss and mental illness that, at the same time, never gives up the hope that everything just might be alright in the end. Tiffany tries to help Cooper’s character despite the fact that she is unable to help herself.
Even though the dance routine at the end of the film is awkward, it’s endearing without being too schmaltzy or heavy handed, and Lawrence totally helps sell it.
1. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games Franchise
The role that catapulted Jennifer Lawrence to mega stardom. After the monumental success of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga, studios rushed option young adult book series in hopes of cashing in, Lions Gate optioned The Hunger Games. Over thirty actresses read for the role of hero Katniss Everdeen including Abigail Breslin, Emma Roberts, Chloe Grace Moretz and Emily Browning. Lawrence captures Katniss’ initial despair at living in the poverty stricken District 12 and her terror when her sister’s name is drawn to take part in the annual Hunger Games.
Lawrence captures Katniss’ transformation throughout the series from terrified teen to a strong symbol of rebellion against the totalitarian capital, and it remains her signature, iconic role to date.
Mother! is out now at your local cinema.
What is your favourite Jennifer Lawrence performance? What did you think of Mother!? Let us know in comments or on social media.