Jennifer Lawrence may be at the forefront of the Oscar race this year, thanks to her performance in David O. Russell's "Silver Linings Playbook," but the young actress isn't allowing all of the critical praise or her "Hunger Games" fame to go to her head.
In an interview with Vanity Fair, a publication that has named her the world's "Most Desirable Woman," the 22-year-old humbly admits she can't get cocky about her profession — and even calls it "stupid."
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"Not to sound rude, but [acting] is stupid,” she said. “Everybody’s like, ‘How can you remain with a level head?’ And I’m like, ‘Why would I ever get cocky? I’m not saving anybody’s life. There are doctors who save lives and firemen who run into burning buildings. I’m making movies. It’s stupid.’”
Her stupid job has earned her millions of dollars since she hit the big time in 2010 with the release of "Winter's Bone" — an income millions of stupid actors out there can only dream of — but before we jump down her throat for being ungrateful, let's consider the context.
It's not the artform she's bashing, but rather the penchant for putting famous folks on a pedestal. Lawrence, who is starring in the upcoming "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" and "X-Men: Days of Future Past," actually loves acting.
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"I always felt like I sucked at everything, that I could never find the thing that I liked," she explained while discussing the decision she made at the age of 14 to commit to acting. "I auditioned and I probably sucked, but I had decided 100 percent that this is what I wanted to do."
And she does it pretty well, as evidenced by her best actress Oscar nomination for "Winter's Bone" and universal praise from critics. She has only minor complaints about all of that attention she gets from photographers on the red carpet.
"It's uncomfortable having to pose when people are shouting at you and the next day you just get slaughtered," she said in an apparent reference to the media's fashion police. "You walk out there and go, 'Hate me!'"
Nobody likes getting slaughtered, but nobody likes being called stupid either. Her innocent comments could be taken out of context and potentially persuade any offended peers to vote in favor of other Oscar contenders.
Still, the majority — like Vanity Fair — will applaud her for sounding "more like a human being than a well-coached product."