A two-time Oscar nominee at the age of 22? The face of one of Hollywood’s biggest new franchises? Yep, life is good for Jennifer Lawrence.
The “Silver Linings Playbook” star spoke with HitFix about her second best actress nomination this morning calling the news, “unreal.”
“I was still horizontal in bed, but I was probably the happiest person on the planet,” Lawrence says. “I’m just so happy for everyone [on the movie] and everyone just deserves it. It’s incredible.”
Lawrence’s parents spent the night in hopes of watching the announcement with her, but she was still asleep when the nominees were revealed. Mom and Dad ended up waking her with the news of the film’s eight nominations including best picture, best director (David O. Russell), best actor (Bradley Cooper), best supporting actor (Robert De Niro) and best supporting actress (Jacki Weaver).
“I’ve always wanted to work with David,” Lawrence reveals. “I love his writing. I love that each of his characters are their own story. And I love the performances that he gets from actors. Most of my favorite performances are from actors in his movies. He just has a way of making you do things you didn’t think were possible which is what he did with me. I think he’s 100,000% deserves it.”
It’s been a long journey for the “Silver Linings” crew. The film won the Toronto International Film Festival’s People’s Choice Award back in September and then opened in limited release in mid-November. It’s grossed over $35 million on mostly critical notices and strong word-of-mouth. Based on Matthew Quick’s 2008 novel, the film centers on Pat (Cooper), a school teacher who is trying to re-adjust to the world after spending a number of months in a psychiatric facility after being diagnosed as severely bi-polar. He finds an unexpected kindred spirit in Tiffany (played by Lawrence), a young widow also suffering from mental trauma. Lawrence says she’s heard firsthand how the film has touched many families who deal with bi-polar and depression.
“I was getting coffee at a laundry mat a couple of weeks ago and some guy who wasn’t much older than me and he said ‘I just wanted to thank you for ‘Silver Linings.’ It helped my family really understand me.’ And that’s exactly what we wanted with the movie and it was kind of an overwhelming thing to hear,” Lawrence says. “You kind of make a movie and you can hear everyone laugh, but you hope at the same time you can feel a sigh of relief when they realize they are not alone. It’s that same kind of feeling that Pat and Tiffany have at the dinner table when they are talking about all the different pills they are on and they kind of have that moment when they realize they aren’t the only ones. To know we made someone feel that way? That’s why we made the movie in the first place.”
2012 was an eventful year for the young actress. Not only did she receive critical acclaim for “Silver Linings,” but she hit the superstar jackpot with the role of Katness Evergreen in the box office phenomenon “The Hunger Games.” While Lawrence has seemingly been going back and forth between smaller films such as “Winter’s Bone” (her previous best actress nomination), “Like Crazy” and “Silver Linings” and studio fare like “X-Men: First Class” and “Hunger Games,” she sounds as though she still thinks of herself as an indie actress.
“‘Hunger Games’ and ‘X-Men’ are really the only studio things I’ve ever done,” Lawrence says. “Awards are absolutely amazing and the most incredible acknowledgment that you can get from your peers, but they are definitely not a driving force [behind what I do]. It’s an amazing, amazing feeling to be part of a movie like that. Especially, it’s even more special with a small movie. That was such an incredible feeling with ‘Winter’s Bone.’ I mean. ‘Look at us now. Walking down the red carpet at the Oscars.'”
Speaking of the Oscar show itself, does Lawrence plan on doing anything different the second time around?
“I’m gonna enjoy it more. The first time I was brand new to the industry and I was just terrified the entire time,” Lawrence admits. “I’m gonna definitely have more fun and enjoy myself.”
“Silver Linings Playbook” is now playing nationwide.