Whatever your opinions on Jennifer Lawrence are, there is no denying her acting calibre. The highest paid actress in the world in 2015 and 2016, Lawrence is also the second youngest winner of the Oscar for Best Actress. To celebrate the release of the star’s latest film, Red Sparrow, The Courier looks at the 27-year-old’s best performances to date.
1. The Hunger Games
2012’s portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games saw her really seize the starlight for the first time. After being convinced by her mother to take the role, Lawrence initially hesitant due to its magnitude, months of training in yoga, archery, rock climbing and hand-to-hand combat preceded filming. The film, the first of four, was a huge money-earner with a box office taking of nearly $700 million dollars. Its success also saw Lawrence become the highest grossing action heroine ever and cemented her status as a first class actress.
2. X-Men: Days of Future Past
You’d be forgiven for not realising that Jennifer Lawrence was a part of the well-known X-Men films; her role as Mystique sees her morph into a shape-shifting blue form. All of the X-Men films can be considered a success, with the actress’ fourth appearance in the franchise in X-Men: Dark Phoenix coming later this year. However, it was in 2014’s X-Men: Days of Future Past that her character became the “emotional fulcrum” of the series’ most ambitious project yet.
3. Silver Linings Playbook
Teaming up with Bradley Cooper in 2012, it was Lawrence’s part in Silver Linings Playbook that saw her win an Oscar for Best Actress. The film’s admirable balance between drama and comedy won over fans and critics alike with an average rating of 8.2/10 on Rotten Tomatoes. At just 21-year-old during shooting, Silver Linings Playbook was another moment of jaw-dropping acting from Lawrence.
4. American Hustle
Perhaps one of Lawrence’s most surprising roles, her take on Rosalyn Rosenfeld, the erratic wife of con man Irving (Christian Bale) hit screens in 2013. The actress has confessed to doing little research for the part, set during the political corruption of 1970s New Jersey, but simply based her performance on the films and television she had seen. The film’s star-studded cast again featured Bradley Cooper, as well as Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner. Lawrence herself picked up the Golden Globe and BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress for her role.
5. Passengers
Perhaps a surprise inclusion on the list, 2016’s sci-fi film Passengers went down a flop with critics due to its flawed script. Nonetheless, Lawrence, who was paid $20 million for her role (more than co-star Chris Pratt), was praised for her role and chemistry with Pratt. The story follows two people who are woken 90 years too early from an induced hibernation whilst on a spaceship bound for a new planet – Lawrence clearly having her work cut out from the start. Her performance was still mesmerising and did pull in over $303 million at the box office.
