One thing's for sure: Jennifer Lawrence is never one to hold back during interviews. In fact, the actress is pretty much always refreshingly real, and manages to come off like an actual person who breathes air and sometimes burps. She's not perfect, and she's not pretending to be: that's why she's so widely adored.
Naturally, in a recent chat with The New York Times about the end of the Hunger Games era, she was as awesome and candid as usual, and we fell in love with her all over again.
J Lawr fans, you'll want to pore over the interview in its entirety — but we've pulled out a few of our favorite excerpts below.
On how her perceptions about being famous have shifted over time:
"I don’t feel like I’m being dragged by anything anymore. I feel more in control. I’m calmer. I know that there’s no point to feeling anxious all day, so I try not to. I’m still scared, but it’s about different things. Now, I worry about — [Trails off and shifts a bit uncomfortably on the sofa.] Okay, get ahold of yourself, Jennifer. This is not therapy." On how she's changed since becoming a household name:
"You want to know how I’ve changed? I’m so scared to say anything now. I can see every negative way that people can take it, and I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining. 'Oh, she’s so conceited now. Oh, she’s so jaded now.' It probably comes from Googling myself. If it were up to me, I would not talk. I would just act." On being scrutinized by total strangers:
"Why do I care what people think? But I do. I just can’t pretend I don’t care. I get really insecure about it. The world makes an opinion of you without ever meeting you. That worry should not bother me, but it does. It bothers me." On finding confidence and developing a voice:
"I believe in myself more, and that makes things easier. Early on, you wear clothes you don’t want to wear or say the sound bite you didn’t want to say because you’re afraid to speak up or be rude. And then you start to feel like a puppet. Now I just speak up. 'No, I know what my hair looks like when you do that, and I don’t like it. No, we’re not gonna just try it. I’ve already tried it.'"
"I don’t feel like I’m being dragged by anything anymore. I feel more in control. I’m calmer. I know that there’s no point to feeling anxious all day, so I try not to. I’m still scared, but it’s about different things. Now, I worry about — [Trails off and shifts a bit uncomfortably on the sofa.] Okay, get ahold of yourself, Jennifer. This is not therapy." On how she's changed since becoming a household name:
"You want to know how I’ve changed? I’m so scared to say anything now. I can see every negative way that people can take it, and I don’t want to sound like I’m complaining. 'Oh, she’s so conceited now. Oh, she’s so jaded now.' It probably comes from Googling myself. If it were up to me, I would not talk. I would just act." On being scrutinized by total strangers:
"Why do I care what people think? But I do. I just can’t pretend I don’t care. I get really insecure about it. The world makes an opinion of you without ever meeting you. That worry should not bother me, but it does. It bothers me." On finding confidence and developing a voice:
"I believe in myself more, and that makes things easier. Early on, you wear clothes you don’t want to wear or say the sound bite you didn’t want to say because you’re afraid to speak up or be rude. And then you start to feel like a puppet. Now I just speak up. 'No, I know what my hair looks like when you do that, and I don’t like it. No, we’re not gonna just try it. I’ve already tried it.'"