After becoming the second-youngest actress ever to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress for her performance in the gritty 2010 indie “Winter’s Bone”, 21-year-old Jennifer Lawrence took full advantage of her new-found notoriety by signing on to star as Mystique in the Matthew Vaughn-directed superhero prequel “X-Men: First Class” in 2011.
Now, with her next bigger-budgeted studio film “The Hunger Games” looking to do blockbuster numbers in its first weekend (it opens on March 23) and “First Class” having grossed nearly $350 million worldwide on its release last summer, Lawrence’s Hollywood career is hotter than ever, with two major franchises now under her belt.
So with her participation in the “Hunger Games” sequel “Catching Fire” all but a done deal at this point (let’s face it, that film is getting made), will Lawrence also reprise her role in the “First Class” sequel now being penned by “Last Stand” writer Simon Kinberg and with Vaughn once again attached at the helm? The choice isn’t exactly up to her at this point, though she’s certainly game for a return.
“I don’t know, I mean…if they write me in, then I’m in,” Lawrence told me during a “Hunger Games” roundtable discussion, after I asked for an update on her role in the “First Class” follow-up. “But I don’t even know if there’ll be…I’ve only heard what everybody else has heard, just whispers. I haven’t heard the official word yet.”
Of course, if the sequel happens it’s hard to imagine Lawrence not reprising her role – and besides, like the rest of the main cast it’s likely she’s contracted for at least one more film anyway. Not that she minds.
“It’s a cool thing,” she said of her experience making “First Class”. “It wasn’t until later, [that I thought]…”I’m Mystique. That’s a cool…she’s kind of like a historic superhero, and that’s really important to a lot of people, and these comics have been around for so long. It was a cool thing to be a part of.”
Are you looking forward to a “First Class” sequel, and did you enjoy Lawrence’s performance as Mystique in the first film? Share your thoughts below.