Jennifer Lawrence made a perfectly simple speech in a perfectly simple navy dress at the SAG awards, and yet some of us still see the parts of her that are sloppy and dirty. That is a good thing for the young actress.
Latest Role First
Jennifer Lawrence, 22, won the Screen Actors Guild Award last night for Outstanding Performance by a Female in a Lead Role, for her portrayal of Tiffany Maxwell in “Silver Linings Playbook,” and she gave one of the best acceptance speeches of the night.
It was as sweet and simple as her Christian Dior Couture navy dress (which, btw, did not rip – the dress was made that way).
She first thanked MTV, explaining that she had earned her SAG card for appearing in an MTV promo for “My Super Sweet 16.” She then thanked David O. Russell, who directed and wrote the screenplay for the movie.
She said, “You made a movie for your son so that he wouldn’t feel alone and so that he could feel understood, and I think I can speak on behalf of most of us and say you have helped more than your son. You’ve helped so many sons and daughters and husbands, wives, everybody.”
Lawrence was referring to the main character’s struggle with bipolar disorder, the same disorder afflicting Russell’s son.
She went on to thank co-star Bradley Cooper and producer Harvey Weinstein, among others, and ended with a simple thank you and “I love you,” to her family.
It was the perfect speech and the perfect dress for the occasion and yet another sign of the grace and maturity of the young actress. Still, many of us, whenever we see her, recall our first introduction to the young star.
Past Role Second
I first took note of Jennifer in the 2010 Independent film, “Winter’s Bone,” as did many others. The film took place in my home state of Missouri and told the story of a young girl, Ree Dolly, in the backwoods of the Ozarks, responsible for caring for her mentally ill mother and two siblings.
One of the best quotes from Jennifer’s newest performance in “Silver Linings Playbook,” brought me back to that first role in “Winter’s Bone”.
In “Silver Linings Playbook, Jennifer’s character, Tiffany, says, “There’s always gonna be a part of me that’s sloppy and dirty, but I like that with all the other parts of myself.” I love that line and I feel the same way about Jennifer’s craft.
As Ree Dolly, Jennifer was so dirty, gritty and real, that I think we will always go back to that when measuring her acting prowess. I mean, no matter how dressed up she gets for future roles, even if she has her “Pretty Woman” role someday, she will still be the actor that brought the backwoods of the Ozarks to life. She will be the one that made us believe her character was older, wiser and stronger than she actually was, and that gave the role a sloppy realism that ensures we will never see the underworld of methamphetamine labs the same way again.
Future Roles Last
As an actress, J-Law (as she is often referred now), will always possess the sloppy, dirty part of herself that gave us Ree Dolly. And it will only help her career and choices, not hurt them.
After receiving Academy and Golden Globe nominations for her role in “Winter’s Bone,” Lawrence moved on to play Katness Everdeen in “The Hunger Games” (2012). According to IMDb, there are three Hunger Games sequels scheduled, with Lawrence reprising her role at least for the first one.
