Jennifer Lawrence on gaining weight for ‘Silver Linings’: ‘I was like, Hell, yeah!’

Jennifer Lawrence

These are some stills of Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley “Milquetoast” Cooper in David O. Russell’s upcoming movieSilver Linings Playbook, which is expanding to a nationwide wide release on November 21. As such, we will probably soon be experiencing no shortage of photo ops featuring Bradley Cooper as your friendly neighborhood serial killer with some random chick on his arm. People magazine already got in on the fun last week with a silly story about his “Fun Friday Night” with Rashida Jones, but it turned out that the two were merely hanging out at the same West Hollywood bar across the room from each other. For his part, Bradley was merely sitting at a table with three other dudes. Poor guy can’t catch a break in the gossip pages even though he obviously is no stranger to a staged romance, right?

For the moment though, we’ve got another interview with Jennifer Lawrence to promote Silver Linings, and of course, she’s talking about her weight again. But it’s different this time, I promise! This time, she’s not talking about her normal” figure (as lovely as it is), how Hollywood considers her overweight, and how she’ll never starve herself for a part. Instead, Jennifer discusses her rabid willingness to gain weight to play the role of Tiffany, but I imagine she only gained a few pounds because she looks much the same here as always, right? Here are some excerpts from the NY Times:

Jennifer Lawrence

On her inevitable future demise: Her lawyers are having her draft a will because, she explained, “I’m rich now.”

She shops at Walmart for Rob Schneider movies? “I like making movies, but that doesn’t mean I want to watch a black-and-white, freaking boring” — here she amped up the sarcasm with an unprintable word — “silent movie.”

She’s terrible at sarcasm: “That’s, like, my No. 1 thing that I have to work on.”

Dancing is not her strong point: “When I dance, I look like I’m a dad at a prom. I never grasped my limbs. Ever since puberty I’ve just kind of felt like we don’t understand each other.” She was asked by Mr. Russell to gain weight for the part. “I was like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ That never happens in a movie.”

She hates her voice: She credited Mr. Russell with helping her find herself in Tiffany’s fluctuating persona. “David is inside every one of these characters.” He even persuaded her to speak in a lower register — a feat because she doesn’t like her naturally deep voice. “I think I sound like a hermit. A deep, chain-smoking hermit.”

On her Hunger Games fame: “It gets overwhelming, where I’ll cry in my car, but not to the point where I don’t want to do what I’m doing. It’s also something that I’m proud of. Like, I don’t get annoyed when the guy at the bar says, ‘May the odds be ever in your favor.'”

She’s never had an acting coach: “That’s how I can go about life free as an idiot: because I have no idea what I’m doing,” she said, deadpan.

On her Oscar nomination at age 20: “It was so much, so fast. I was like: I just want to feel like it happened. I feel like I’m busy. I feel like I’m tired, and tired of talking about myself, which is very odd. It’s such a PMS type of feeling, when something is so good that you’re sad that you can’t fully take it in and enjoy it.” But after the ceremony, “I could enjoy it,” she said, “absorb it and sign my name ‘Academy Award Nominee Jennifer Lawrence’ on everything.”

[From NY Times]

I have to admit that I’m actually looking forward to seeing Jennifer put her crotch in Bradley Cooper’s face while dancing in Silver Linings. Even though I’m not entirely convinced with BCoop as a lead, the theatrical and teaser trailers for the movie do look promising, so I’ll give it a shot.

The interview also makes mention about how Jennifer’s Tiffany character was originally intended to be Goth, but Harvey Weinstein lost his sh-t after watching screen tests of JLaw in dyed black hair, Goth makeup, and plaid, punky dresses. Isn’t it amusing that Harvey Weinstein got all freaked out at JLaw in some Gothy makeup, but he doesn’t seem to balk at wife Georgina Chapman’s gawd-awful Marchesa creations? The things that dudes will put up with to get laid … and I just grossed myself out.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence

Photos courtesy of AllMoviePhoto

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74 Responses to “Jennifer Lawrence on gaining weight for ‘Silver Linings’: ‘I was like, Hell, yeah!’”

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  1. Suga says:

    Yawn, I’m probably the only one who thinks this girl is such a try hard especially with this whole weight thing. We get it Jennifer. I know people love her and she seems like a cool and stable chick but she annoys me for some reason.

    • EJ says:

      +1
      All she talks about is her weight and how she doesn’t care if she’s fat

      • Amanda Huggenkiss says:

        We know what is printed, some of what was asked, and less about what else she’s said.

      • Ann Emmess says:

        What do you think would happen if she refused to talk about her weight? According to the reaction of half the commenters on this very site, Christina from Mad Men is not allowed to REFUSE to talk about her body (trying to arrange it ahead of time, which the interviewer ignored) because what’s the big deal and she has a swelled head and stuff.

        How are these women supposed to win with people? They always get asked, so that’s what they always talk about. Which is boring. If they don’t answer, they’re stuck up divas. What’s the response that you think would work?

      • flan says:

        Well said, AE. Interviewers tend to ask her these questions and print what she answers.

        Lately some actresses have gotten indignant when asked only about clothes and weight, but I’m sure they’ll call her a bitch then.

    • lin234 says:

      The thing is no one has ever complained that she’s fat. From my understanding, their main objection is that for her role in Hunger Games, the main character is supposed to be close to starvation and that’s the last thing you think of when you see her- she just looks healthy which is a good thing.

      She needs to get over the curvy comments regarding her Hunger Game role. It’s getting old fast.

    • vic says:

      So glad this was this first post! Expected all the gushing again. She’s beautiful and talented and boring and I think she does protest too much.

      • Christina says:

        Glad it’s not just me. There’s nothing more dull than an actress who spends most of the time not talking about her work, but her weight (I’m looking at you, Jenifer Hudson, and you, Kate Winslet). It’s so very dull. Nobody would even have noticed her ‘weight gain’ if she didn’t go on and on about it. Ever heard Cate Blanchett or Meryl Streep talk about their weight? No, thought not.

      • Liv says:

        I still like her!! 😉

      • I Choose Me says:

        Wish I’d seen your comment before I posted mine down thread. I basically said the same thing. 🙂

  2. Amelia says:

    I feel bad for Jennifer.
    Come awards season all she’ll be wearing is ice-skatery, floaty, Boobs McLively messes.
    I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
    A friend just got engaged and we were discussing nightmare wedding dresses, so, we wandered over to the Marchesa site, naturally.
    *shudder*
    So much decent fabric has been maimed for no good reason. RIP in the big sowing basket in the sky, little dresses.

    Also, is that Tony Shaloub in the background of the first picture?

  3. silver says:

    yeah, I agree with Suga. I’m not drinking the coolaide. something about her just rubs me the wrong way, sorry. maybe it’s that in the last interview, she brought up how many millions she’s made, and in this one, she pointed out that she’s rich. ok, we get it.

    • Shay says:

      Personally I appreciate her candor, like are we not supposed to think that celebrities are millionaires? She admits it and moves on.

  4. LadyLupton says:

    I love her. Can’t help it. I can even forgive her the awful Marchesa dresses she’s worn in the past, as long as she never wears one again.

  5. Ann says:

    Well if everybody tells you, you’re the best thing since Streep…. you’ll start to believe it sooner or later. She’s a good actress but way too over-hyped… And come on Silver Linings… she maybe the best thing in the movie but best actress contender.. I still can’t wrap my head around this craze.

    • Becky1 says:

      I don’t get it re: the weight thing. In the previews for the movie she looks just the same as she usually does. Why even bring it up in an interview? It’s not like she gained 25+ pounds for the role. It seems like a silly thing to discuss.

      • flan says:

        Notice that she was not the one who brought it up:

        -SHE was asked by Mr. Russell to gain weight for the part. “I was like, ‘Hell, yeah!’ That never happens in a movie.”-

        As you can see the interviewer mentioned the topic first and then we go back to a small quote about it from her.

    • ORLY says:

      I saw Silver Linings Playbook at TIFF, it was fantastic. Jen was great in the movie, she deserves all the accolades she gets.

  6. Victoria says:

    I prefer her with darker hair. That is all.

  7. Shelley says:

    She is not attractive and not interesting. You can only afford to pull the i won’t lose weight for a part if you have a sexy body, beautiful face or outstanding talent. As far as I’m concerned she has neither one. “NEEEEXT!”

  8. Andrew says:

    What’s up with all the hate? She’s an extremely talented actress (I’ve seen winter’s bone), and she’s not full of drama. I like her lots. And have anybod you actually seen Silver Linungs? Many people have and yes, they say she’s worth best actress. The girl can act. Get over it.

    • Koko says:

      I don’t think anyone is hating on her, and nor are we criticizing her acting talent. She is a decent actress and seems to be focused on her career(kudos). She just comes off as pretentious with this whole weight thing and how cool and different she is. To me it’s just as annoying as how Jessica Biel went on and on about how beautiful she is and that’s why she can’t get any roles. Makes me roll my eyes.

      • V4Real says:

        Okay she may be coming off a little Salma Hayek with all the talk about weight but it’s no more than the 100 pound actresses who talk about what they do to keep their unnaturaly thin figures.

        I’m not a big fan of JL but she’s kind of my girl crush at the moment only because of her looks. She’s not dropped dead gorgeous or Hollywood standards of thin but she’s has something that attracts me to her.

      • Ann says:

        It’s not hate… it’s just that, viral over-exposure does that to people… and with Weinstein promoting the hell out of this and in my honest opinion, overselling the hell of it, no wonder people get tired with her. They’re all these guys and girls thrown at the audience like they’re that second coming, that after awhile, it becomes annoying and it’s not necessarily the actor’s fault.
        On the other hand I think that she comes off as a tad pretentious mostly cuz since last year the weight debacle and her antics have been recycled over and over…
        And totally, Winter’s Bone was great, even her small role in Beaver was very okay… but like many of her generation, there’s no range to her acting… Prolly an age thing, remains to be seen.

  9. Kayla says:

    I didn’t even read the interview. Her first few interviews were okay but now she just comes of as such a try hard, we get it you’re not fat, you embrace your “curvy” body and you won’t starve we freaking get it.

  10. lisa2 says:

    If you look at most of these “new actresses” they really are not very interesting. I don’t need them to be wild, but have some personality. I’m so tired of reading interviews about weight, hair, exercise and how all these women are REAL because they don’t care about being heavier. Gosh do they have nothing else to talk about.

    I like her, but… well leave it at that.

    • jinni says:

      I think they stick to these topics because they’re safe and won’t polarize any of their potential fan base. Just look at what happened to Megan Fox. She tried to not just stick to the same old topics and give her opinion on things and all people said was that she needs to shut up and disappear. Her bold (and sometimes annoying) comments ruined her career.

      We keep saying that we want our celebs to be interesting and not just stick to the same subjects in interviews, but when they do and give an opinion that the masses doesn’t agree with we attack them, so I can understand why anyone in that business would only talk about mundane and repetitive things that will illicit the least amount of criticism.

      You have to admit we are a fickle public that will look for any reason to tear a celeb done. I remember no too long ago everyone was praising Mila Kunis as the second coming on this site (much like the treatment JLaw is getting now) and the minute she got with Ashton that love for her turned to hate and disappointment and that was only for going out with someone people thought she was too good for. Celebs have to play it so close to the vest about everything because any little thing they say or do can be a detriment to their career.

      • D says:

        You’re exactly right except for one thing: weight is not necessarily a safe topic for a female celebrity (who is addressing a female audience). Ditto motherhood.

      • jinni says:

        @D: I guess what I mean when I say weight is a safe topic is that actresses that go around saying how their different from the “typical actress” body type and go on about how they have “meat on their bones” and are “real women”, which is supposed to make them more genuine and somehow less Hollywood as apposed to those “skinny” actresses, seem to instantly become the girl crush for female audiences.

        It’s like all they have to do is do that spiel and the female audience sees her as some kind of symbol of “girl power”, when if you actually look at them they aren’t really that much bigger than the others that they are acting like they are better than. Plus, they usually succumb to the pressures of Hollywood and end up losing the weight later on in their careers anyway (ex.Kate Winslet).

      • D says:

        A friend of mine who works for a talent agency told me that young* actresses are actually advised that to appeal to women, they should put themselves down and/or point out some physical flaw that supposedly sets them apart from all those other perfect-looking actresses in order to make themselves more relatable and less threatening.

        *Once you’re past 40 or so, it’s okay to speak positively about your body because that’s “empowering”. Before then, it’s just conceited.

      • jinni says:

        @D: Wow. That explains a lot. That’s so f-ed up. It’s so sad that one would have to basically appear to have low self-esteem in order to appeal to women. Ugh.

  11. Sasha says:

    I am getting very, very tired of her. She talks about weight all the time, she is uneducated and does nto sound smart like a lot of people say she does and the level of ass kissery she is receiving is turning me down on her. People see her as the second coming of Jesus.

  12. Jenna says:

    I don’t see the weight gain. o_O

  13. Nya says:

    I’m so tired of her talking about her weight. She’s in tight spandex/running pants for half the movie and she looks the exact same as always.

  14. Bubbling says:

    she has some glorious b00bs!

  15. ChocoChipDstryr says:

    So this is the stereotypical movie where an uptight, conservative older guy meets a younger, carefree free spirit who changes his life?

    • Sasha says:

      No. It’s more like “an steriotypical Hollywood movie about a miscast younga ctress playing a character 15 years older than her and so enhancing the well-known fact that, in Hollywood, you disappear after you are 40”

    • Nya says:

      No, it’s not really like that all. But Jennifer’s character is like a male fantasy, she’s a nympho and has no problem talking back to people.

    • Justyna says:

      No, they both are supposed to be seriously messed-up. From the trailers it seems like she is a widow who was coping with the death of her partner by becoming nymphomaniac and sleeping with everyone at her workplace, both genders and got fired because of that. He has mental problems and everyone hates him. She is the only person around who isn’t offended by his behaviour and they become friends. They will probably stereotypically become a couple at the end, but I hope it won’t happen.

  16. Nessa says:

    She is a good actress. I do think she is slightly overrated, but she is young and not insufferable like the other one.

  17. Alexis says:

    She must have been underweight to carry weight gain that well.

  18. Rosa says:

    She is weak. Can not stand a bit of criticism. Rich kid like that Rebecca Black .Her parents brought her to NY for one of those acting schools- classes where you have to pay some 5 G or more to be introduced to an agent. Plus living costs.
    She seems to be proud and jelous.

  19. Sisi says:

    That’s a nice black trench

  20. virginia5 says:

    she bores me, also don’t find her attractive.

  21. Bluedog says:

    Georgina Chapman is gorgeous and seems sweet and knowledgeable on Project Runway All-Stars, but then I remember that she married Harvey Weinstein to get where she is and the whole thing repulses me.

  22. Mandy says:

    I like Jennifer with darker hair. She looks stunning!

  23. Migdalia says:

    Bedhead like I told Kaiser on twitter…Bradley Cooper actually did great in his role 🙂

  24. Diva says:

    She’s annoying

  25. Anna00 says:

    Stop talking about your weight!

  26. j.eyre says:

    I really like Jennifer Lawrence so I might “take a break” from JLaw posts for a while. It’s just a bit much.

    I liked this book very much, as I have said before, but I think they rewrote the dad role b/c they got a huge name like De Niro. That will be upsetting – the dad’s relationship with Pat is essential to the story. But, maybe I’m wrong – I certainly have been before.

  27. Ginger says:

    Where did she gain weight? Her boobs? She can get away with the “I can eat anything, etc.” for so long, she is still young. I do think she is a fantastic actress and very pretty. But is she a bit boring? Perhaps, but I find it refreshing that at least she takes her job seriously but doesn’t take the whole Hollywood machine seriously.

  28. Marianne says:

    What did she gain 5 pounds?

  29. Sweet Dee says:

    I agree with everyone that she needs to STFU about her weight already, and that all of her talking about it just makes her seem boring.

    Also, when you wear heavy eyeliner you need to make sure your eyebrows are strong, colored in and trimmed, or else you look all beady-eyed and round-faced. I think you all know what I’m talking about. Yes, I realize it’s a still from the movie but it still makes her look bad.

    • flan says:

      For someone who doesn’t like to hear her talk about weight, you sure have a lot to say about what makes her look round-faced and bad.

      It makes you seem like a hypocrite.

      And if you read it again, you can see that she only mentions the weight after the interviewer brought up the topic.

  30. FreeSpiritedGirl says:

    I like reading her interviews. She seems down to earth.

  31. bns says:

    She’s turning into Kate Winslet 2.0 with all of this body talk.

  32. I Choose Me says:

    I wanna like her. I really do as I think she’s a beautiful young woman and a great actress but I wish she’d stop talking about her weight. Methinks the lady doth protest too much.

  33. Sara says:

    Yeah,… I am tired of weight talk too.
    C’mon looking others girls like Mia wasikowa, ellen page, Jena Melanone. I think it’s all natural, I don’t think they starve themselves. I know this, because I am naturally skinny too, and I eat a lot. C’mon I think sometimes this talk is little annoying with other actress.

    Fans of J-Law I am not a hater, I don’t hate her, but I find this weight talk annoying

  34. LittleDeadGirl says:

    I love her. Can’t help it. Big fan of her acting and I think she’s great in interviews. Something about her I just like. She may not everyone’s cup of tea and that’s cool but keep posts about her coming.

  35. fran says:

    maybe the interviewers keep asking about her weight…???

  36. Diana says:

    Again with the weight… And where is this supposed weight she gained? cuz I don’t see it.

  37. Christa says:

    Am I the only one that, going by the character in SLP and the story, thinks this chick is WAAAAY too young to playing this character? Are we supposed to forget she was just 20 or so when this was made? She is supposed to be some messed up widow? Not buying it. Good actress but it just seems ridiculous. She looks like a child next to Cooper. Not too excited about this film, even the trailer looked weak to me.

    • Phat girl says:

      Why does Hollywood insist on people being so inappropriately aged. He’s like 15 years older than her.

  38. A Fan says:

    She looks way better with dark hair.

  39. Adnovitam says:

    Seen the film and her youth is explained. Great fun and funny – but DeNiro steals it.

  40. Marilu says:

    Skinny people always say they wouldnt care if theyre fat, until they are fat and lose their career over it. Apparently, jlaws nutritionist allowed her one extra grape for this role. Yay! —–> next. When will actors admit they need to starve themselves? Id respect them much more if they were just honest.