Jennifer Lawrence & Sam Claflin on the trials of fame: ‘Paparazzi suck all the time’

Jennifer Lawrence Sam Claflin

I want to point out how much I love this photo of Sam Claflin, Jennifer Lawrence, and Liam Hemsworth at Cannes earlier this year. Liam is almost fading into the right side, which is amusing because (sadly) his days as a movie star are numbered. We all know he’s the Taylor Lautner of The Hunger Games. I really do feel badly for him and hope he saves his money.

Who knows where Liam is right now. Sam and Jennifer are promoting Catching Fire, which I am trying very hard to be excited about. No matter what, I will be in the theater on opening weekend because tickets will be a birthday present to my daughter. She loves Katniss, and I love that Katniss is a great role model.

JLaw and Sam sat down with Teen Vogue (via HuffPo) to discuss their characters and their experience filming in Hawaii. They also talked about the trappings of fame. Sam already talked to Nylon about the dark side of fandom and how “people get a little obsessed.” Jennifer is also starting to show (to Vogue) that fame is starting to get to her: “I am just not OK with it. It’s as simple as that. I am just a normal girl and a human being.” Now they’re complaining about the paps. Do they sound ungrateful?

Sam Claflin

Was it important for you to set a certain tone on set as the leading lady?
Jennifer Lawrence: “I needed everyone to know I was in charge. (Laughs) I just wanted everyone to be comfortable. When there are new people, it can get awkward, but everyone was so great — including you, Sam.”
Sam Claflin: “I first bumped into you at stunt training. Your archery put me to shame. I was quite intimidated.”
JL: “By the sight of my face.”
SC: “It really put me off. (Laughs) No, obviously you are a good role model.”

How will your characters interact with each other in the movie?
JL: “Finnick is the most seductive man in the Capitol. At first Katniss is very put off by him, but the more she learns about him, the more she starts to understand and respect him. They become weird friends.”
SC: “He has charm and charisma going for him, but deep down he has insecurities, which overshadow his ‘external beauty.'”

Sam, Finnick has a very physical role. How did you train?
SC: “I had quite the journey. If you read the description of Finnick in the book, then pin my face next to that, there’s quite a long way to go.”
JL: “He was drastically overweight.”
SC: “I was definitely not in shape. There was a lot of training involved. Months and months of eating the same meals every day. Omelet in the morning, protein shake in the afternoon. The same routine of gym and stunt training. I’m happy with the end result. I did the best I could.”
JL: “You can’t diet on these movies. It’s impossible.”
SC: “It’s pretty tough.”

How were the paparazzi in Hawaii?
SC: “They weren’t around when we were doing scenes so much. It was worse during our downtime.”
JL: “I mean, paparazzi suck all the time. When you’re working, it’s distracting and when you’re not working, it’s annoying. I don’t feel like anyone is entitled to know what we’re doing on our weekends and for some reason, the world thinks they are. That’s just how I feel.”
SC: “I was lucky. I didn’t have to deal with it as much as her and Josh — partly because no one knows who I am. I’m lucky.”

Jennifer’s advice for Sam
JL: “I told him that everything’s going to change really fast. I haven’t really stopped working, which has been exhausting, but also a blessing because I don’t have time to think about it.”

[From Teen Vogue on HuffPo]

This conversation shows off the obvious rapport between Jennifer and Sam. She’s that way about all of her male co-stars. I think it’s because she grew up with brothers, so it’s like all these guys are brothers by extension (even Bradley Cooper). Does she sound ungrateful about fame? Not yet.

Here’s Sam doing his best Robert Pattinson “duck the paps” maneuver in Dublin in March.

Sam Claflin

He was oddly excited to see the paps in London last month.

Sam Claflin

Jennifer Lawrence

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN

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59 Responses to “Jennifer Lawrence & Sam Claflin on the trials of fame: ‘Paparazzi suck all the time’”

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  1. Spooks says:

    Yes, she does sound ungrateful. When you’re getting that much money for something nowhere near worthy of it, you do not complain. About anything. Ever. Unless it’s dangerous or degrading. Shut up and take it.

    • Abra says:

      I make a lot of money at my job. If I were being sexually harassed and spied on at my job, should I just shut up and take it because the money outweighs the invasion?
      Or does this only go for people who make a living as entertainers?

      • Spooks says:

        Sexually harassed? Let’s not go to far now.

        She knew what she was getting into. If she just loved acting, she could have acted in a local theatre. Hollyweid comes with the paps.
        Oh, and if you get millions of dollars for a couple of months of speaking in front of the camera, that’s great.

      • Sarah says:

        Spooks: i dont think taking a picture of a womans vajay while she is getting out of the car is something other than harrassment. i agree with Abra.

        also you are fueling the machine yourself. you are interested in celebs. thats why they can make money. they only get paid so handsomely because people love AND people hate them.

        thats why i dont click on articles with the kardashians i dont want to contribute anything to them.

      • Abra says:

        I wasn’t implying she was being sexually harassed, I was talking about job related harassment.
        I think it’s okay to feel distain for anyone who is making you uncomfortable in life, simple because you chose a profession. And it’s certainly reasonable to want them to stop.
        Money has nothing to do with that.

    • MisJes says:

      I do understand where she is coming from. Some of the abuse paparazzi hurl at the famous is brutal, and we see stories on the regular about paparazzi-related incidents that have been dangerous for all involved.

      I don’t think it makes her ungrateful to say that she’s not okay with it.

    • Anname says:

      Completely disagree. Why shouldn’t she be able to say paps are annoying and distracting? They are, clearly. Being rich or famous doesn’t give you a perfect life, it just changes your set of circumstances and problems to deal with. Her acknowledgement that paps cause her problems is fine by me.

    • Bubbles says:

      @Spooks, don’t even bother. This is the mighty Lawrence. She just can’t do no wrong :rolls eyes:

      • Juliet says:

        Right. She’s always perfect, she’s flawless. Of course she’s being ungrateful, celebrities also need the paparazzi, part of their fame is thanks to the paparazzi. They’re only welcome when said celebrity is in need of “promotion”.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I COMPLETELY disagree that what she is doing isnt worth the money.

      She made hundreds of millions of dollars for studios, she absolutely deserves millions of dollars for herself. People spent it to see her.

  2. Zigggy says:

    I’m excited to see him as Finnick- F is a great character. I love how at first you think he’s just a handsome playboy, but later the depth of him is revealed.

  3. Celia says:

    I mean, they get asked about the paparazzi. What are people expecting them to say -yeah we totally love them stalking us and trying to take photos of us changing clothes in a trailer?

    All the people I know complain about the annoying aspects of their job from time to time. Celebrities are human beings (which Spooks seems to be forgetting) who have the same right than rest of us. Paying ten bucks for a movie ticket, of which maybe a dollar goes to the cast as a whole doesn’t give a moviegoer or paparazzi some special right to harass people. I went to university with some people who had roles in big franchise movies and never thought I had some right to treat them with discourtesy just because I owned their films on dvd.

    • Bubbles says:

      Maybe they should say: “It’s crazy, but I get to do his for a living so I can’t complain”?

      • blue marie says:

        + 1.. there’s no way that actors don’t know what they’re getting into nowadays. It’s a bit of a beast right? You need one to support the other.

      • bob says:

        So you think it’s perfectly acceptable for a 21 year old woman to be chased down the street at midnight by a group of men, or an 18 year old to have men lying on the floor to get an upskirt shot of her as she gets out of the car on her birthday, because of the job they do? Really?

      • blue marie says:

        Yes, after re-reading my post that’s exactly what I said.. *eyeroll* of course that’s not okay. All I’m saying is that they both feed each other. You can’t have one without the other. If as an actor you don’t want your picture taken then there are ways around it. (heck you listed one downthread)

      • bob says:

        The people I mentioned were Sienna Miller and Emma Watson respectively, Sienna was when the paparazzi first started going to these lengths in a way in which the general public were aware of – I remember it being on the news that she couldn’t even put petrol in her car as there were so many men around. Emma hadn’t been bothered before – do you think she knew what to expect when she signed up to HP at 11?

        Actors are unemployed until the next gig, many don’t have the choice to just do local theatre for the art as that doesn’t pay the bills. I don’t reckon people really know how bad it can be if you’re the next big thing, or look at Helena Bonham Carter – going from very rarely papped to having paps camped outside her home for the latest scoop. In a post on here today Chris Evans is running away as usual. I don’t think it’s remotely ungrateful to dislike that part of their job and state that opinion, or really expect to loose the expectation of privacy when minding their own business on holiday just because they’re got themselves a good role.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      Yeah, they get asked about the paparazzi and they could lie. It’s not like celebrities think they owe audiences the truth about most things (and they’re right) so why bitch about this? It never does them any favors.

      And yes, we all complain about our jobs now and then. But not to the people who pay us. If I complained about the annoying things at work to my boss … well you know what would happen. “I shouldn’t have to deal with this.” No, I shouldn’t but we ALL eat sh*t from time to time and we deal with it and don’t act like whiny kids. Then again … maybe they are.

      I get so annoyed when people complain on such a high level.

      • Gretchen says:

        …but the paparazzi don’t pay them, so it’s nothing like complaining to your boss.

      • littlemissnaughty says:

        We pay them. We pay for the pictures by clicking on links and buying magazines. By coming to this blog. So we, as their audience, do pay them. The paparazzi get blamed for everything but who BUYS their pictures? In effect, we do. So yes, the audience is the closest equivalent to a boss.

        And just to get it out of my system, I find it so hypocritical that these discussions always bring out the holier-than-thou blog readers. WHAT are people doing here if they think these poor people are harrassed? WE harrass them. Blaming the paparazzi does not change that.

        Edit: And something else. I don’t actually think everyone knows what they’re getting into when they start acting. The actual experience is always different and I don’t claim to know what it’s like. She was young, talented, and was given the opportunity to make tons of money doing what she loved. Who the heck wouldn’t? However, if it gets to the point where someone can’t deal with it anymore … GET THE HELL OUT! Go to college or something. Because that is where my problem with this lies. You can’t deal with this aspect of your job? Well, YOU can quit whereas 99% of people have to deal with crap on a daily basis but can’t afford to leave. So in comparison, you’re super lucky. But you choose to complaim because you’re given a platform. That’s just tacky.

  4. jinni says:

    On one hand I get it. Most people don’t expect to still have to be bothered by things relating to their job after they’ve punched the clock. On the other hand, the paps have been a major problems since the 90’s when they started getting really aggressive with celebs. So, I have a hard time sympathizing with those that get into this business and pursue lead parts in major film/franchise based off of successful/ well-known book series complaining about the paps. If you got in this business after the 90’s, you should already know what the deal is.

    I’d have more sympathy for her if she had stuck to small indie fare and wasn’t pursuing the big, A-list star scene/ becoming the face of a major fashion label, but she has and she/her people should have known that when you want to be that kind of stardom it comes with a price.

    In short, deal with it.

  5. Sarah says:

    i never understood this “celebs cant complain about paps because they make a lot of money.”

    so think about your life. if you are commenting on this site your life must be pretty great compared to the rest of the world. you have electricity and internet acess and you can devote some of your time to celeb gossip.
    now think of all the people in the world that are nowhere near this?
    would they like it if you complain that netflix froze? that your bus was late? that you didnt have any nutella left and therefore had to eat cheese?

    if you dont want celebs to complain then i hope you are grateful every day for the life you have and dont complain at all.

    • Tapioca says:

      The difference is that Jennifer Lawrence could quit her job tomorrow and live off her earnings for the next, I don’t know, 400 years.

      For everybody else, “just quitting” means you get your electricity and water cut off and the bank foreclosing on your house. We HAVE to do our jobs – it’s not an entirely comparable situation!

      • Sarah says:

        do you think the paps would leave her alone? she is super famous with an oscar. she can quit acting but not quit being famous.

        what i wanted to say was: even if you are priviliged you can still complain about stuff.
        acting doesnt include being photograped everywhere you go, its a rather new thing.

      • Lucija says:

        After some time, they would. when is the last time Helen Hunt was papped? Or Frances Macdormand? Or even Meryl?

      • Gretchen says:

        @Lucija
        Funny you should say that, I stumbled on this today:
        http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2475271/Helen-Hunt-50-looks-amazingly-fit-strips-wash-ocean-swim.html

        Just because all outlets don’t buy every shot of every celebrity everyday, doesn’t meet the paps aren’t still there, snapping away, we just don’t see it.

        Also, the names you mentioned are all older actresses who have had long careers, so compromising pictures of them just don’t inspire the same interest – or paycheck – as the latest bright young thing.

    • Kate says:

      Sarah, I’m with you
      Anyone who wants to be a major successful entertainer these days know the paps come with the territory. They can’t be shocked or that naive.

      there’s pros and cons to any job accept there’s pay a lot more money than the majority of ours

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I think, much like readers of this site, actors probably have a similar view on paps before they become super famous. They think if they hit it big, there might be people that take pictures of them doing normal things. Annoying like flies.

        Then they get into the REALITY of what the “paparrazi” actually are, and it is a heck of a lot SCARIER and more invasive than they previously imagined. Not just the pictures and cruel words, but people actively out to harm you, who will use their cars as weapons, who want to harm your children, etc.

        It gets primal. People don’t think people quite understand what it really is like.

  6. anais says:

    Making fun of certain qualities of a celeb is one thing, harassing them via paps is another. Even J Law, over compensating as she is, does not deserve that kind of treatment.

  7. LB says:

    I think she’s right. I don’t know why people need to know what she did over the weekend. Shouldn’t they be focusing on their own weekend?

    I know it’s a bit hypocritical – I’m on a gossip site, gossiping. But there’s a limit. The paparazzi take it way too far and from what I hear, endanger the public when taking great lengths to get a picture. Plus there are plenty of people (ahem…Kimye) happy to put their lives on display for the public. I’m not all that interested in the paparazzi stalking and harrassing the ones who have never called for attention when it comes to their private lives specifically.

    And whoever above said, how else are they supposed to answer is right. There’s no way not to complain about it. It seems really annoying.

  8. HH says:

    They don’t sound ungrateful, but they do sound… I don’t know, hypocritical. (?) You don’t see tons of paparazzi pics of Rachel McAdams , Ben Foster, Joseph Gordon Levitt, etc. all the time. There are ways to be a great actor, get amazing parts, and not be stalked. I especially don’t think you can live in LA and complain. I know that’s where the studios are, but once you become a big name, if they want you for the part, they want you. I think people get caught up in being the “it girl/guy” and then realize they can’t control it. You can’t have it both ways.

    In regards to crazy fans – If you accept the script to a beloved book series, it should expected by now. Twilight, Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter… c’mon.

    • Kim1 says:

      You don’t see pics of them because they don’t sell so there is no market for them.So the paps aren’t going to waste their time “stalking” a celebrity when they can only get few dollars for the pics.
      Also these paps do harass celebs if I say stop following me and you continue.If you sit outside my house and follow me around all day that’s stalking

    • Bubbles says:

      You mentioned LOTR and Harry Potter. I don’t exactly see Elijah or Daniel papped on a daily basis. How come?

      • Another Ann says:

        Why do so many people give the paps a free pass? They work for no one and are accountable to no one. The follow people home, invade their privacy, yell crude comments to get a reaction, start car chases that endanger the public and create a general nuisance in airports on the street, etc. For what? A picture of a celeb taken without their permission? An intrusive picture of a celeb’s child? They perform no legitimate public service. They are leeches.

        Take a young girl like JLaw. She may be getting followed home by a pack of gross guys who could be sex offenders for all she knows. Don’t know about you, but it would give me the creeps. Famous or not, she should have the right to her own private time without being followed anywhere.

      • bob says:

        Dan Radcliffe said he’d deliberately wear the same clothes every day so the paps couldn’t sell the pictures. As said above, it depends on who is selling at the present time.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Another Ann, I completly agree 100%. I have seen swarms of paps in action, and they are frightening and a danger to the public, not just celebs.

        I don’t think a lot of people understand how dangerous they are.

  9. lem says:

    Given that they don’t seem to be the type of celebrity that call the paps, I’m okay with them complaining about the intrusion. I don’t think that just b/c they make a lot of money they should have to sacrifice their privacy for my consumption. This is a completely different situation from say, Halle Berry who calls the paps for family-friendly photo-ops on the beach with her child, but then complains when the paps follow her at other times.

  10. D. says:

    I think people keep waiting for Jennifer Lawrence to act like a bitch or display some kind of Kristen Stewart type of behavior. Lawrence hasn’t so, because gossip sites need something to write about, will take one harmless quote and try to make it seem like it’s complaining, bitchy, when it’s not at all.

  11. Jillyro says:

    I feel celebs should answer “Paps are a pain and I don’t like them, they are annoying, but it is part of the biz, although nasty, it’s the way the bizworks and we get paid LOTSA money for what essentially is playing pretend, so I can’t really complain, there are MUCH worse things in life to do for a living and to go through, my life is good and I am BLESSED”.

    • Andrea1 says:

      HA! That sounds better.

    • Runs with Scissors says:

      I agree, but then her response gets edited to “Paps are a pain and I don’t like them, they are annoying!”

      For all we know she DID say she was grateful, but it was edited out.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        Great point, Runs With Scissors! I think a lot of people forget how much the comments are edited and pasted together. A magazine interview can be like a mosaic.

  12. D. says:

    In other words, no, I don’t think Lawrence seems ungrateful at all. I think she answers questions honestly and good for her. Lohan, Stewart, Bieber are great examples of stars who have acted ungrateful in spite of their advantages.

  13. Andrea1 says:

    I don’t get the over protectiveness of this girl by some commenters IMO she didn’t deserve that oscar she got for silver lining. She is a good actress but is overly exposed. When someone voices a different opinion of her some see it as hate but that’s far from it.

    • Celia says:

      I’m not fond of Kristen Stewart but wish paparazzi would stop harassing her and shouting nasty things to her in order to get a reaction. I feel the same way for all the celebrities who have not broken the law and done something awful to deserve such harassment. Not all of us are some Hunger Games fanbots but simply decent human beings.

      • Andrea1 says:

        Celia I agree with you about the paps they say mean things to celebs to get a reaction forgetting they are humans just like everybody else. I remember one time in New york some paps shouted at angie calling her a wh*re and asking her to return Brad to Jen. She just ignored them and entered the building I imagine she must have been pretty hurt by that but didn’t show it.. I think hollywood should come together and do something about the paps but then again the paps keep some of them relevant.

  14. Ninks says:

    I feel like most people throw out the line ‘they knew what they were getting into when they started acting’ line whenever a celeb mentions being harrassed by the paps. But I don’t think that’s true. Jennifer Lawrence was only 14 when she started acting, she probably had no idea what she was really getting into.

    Plus there have been huge changes in those 9 years since she started acting, everybody she meets now is carrying a camera that allows them to upload pictures for the whole world to see within seconds. There are more websites that demand new and fresh content 24/7, so there are more paps trying to take pictures.

    She gets followed by men everywhere she goes, they hound her. Yes, she gets paid a lot of money but I don’t think that makes it OK for strange men to harass her everytime she leaves her home.

    • Runs with Scissors says:

      I totally agree, bad behavior by paps is bad behavior period. Changing the circumstances of the victims of the behavior don’t suddenly make it ok.

      “She knew what she was getting to!” “Yeah, but she makes SO much money!”
      So what? It still doesn’t make getting harassed ok. Terrible logic.

  15. mom2two says:

    I would say I don’t know how much the paps are bothering Sam right now but I would think given the fact that he is Finnick, he has to expect some pap attention-not that he has to like it.
    Same with Jennifer, I don’t think either one of them sound ungrateful. I cannot imagine having people follow me around while I do mundane tasks.
    I guess, I am trying to clumsily say, paps are -for the most part- a downside to the job, a necessary evil I guess. I don’t think we will ever find a celebrity saying, “Yeah, I love it when the paps take pictures of me.”

  16. IrishGirl says:

    Does she sound ungrateful?…no, that’s not ungrateful. Ungrateful is showing up late to the set, dissing fans, media…generally pissing your good fortune away, etc.,. This is an actress answering a question truthfully.

    I just don’t get that vibe from Jennifer Lawrence. I think she handles her fame well for someone so young.

  17. Sunny says:

    a lot of paps are assholes and mean as hell. They would do all for good pics. That´s why some stars choose to live somewhere outside of LA. Paps belong to Hollywood, everyone knows that. But i think the young actors don´t think about it at the beginning.
    I find it funny that people defend Jennifer, but rant over Kristen Stewart when she says the paps hound her down and “it´s not ok”. Funny you all laugh about her when paps openly insult her only for some pictures. You don´t like her so she is at fault and should quit.
    Hypocrisy much?

    • Celia says:

      It’s probably the same people who complain Jennifer is ungrateful who laugh at Kristen and think it’s part of her job.

      ‘They get paid lots of money so they can’t complain about shitty behavior but have to smile and suck it up and pretend they love everything about their jobs.’

      The comments here sound pretty similar to comments I’ve seen on Kristen threads.

  18. Jo 'Mama' Besser says:

    He’s so famous that I’ve never heard of him and no one’s talking about him.

    I thoroughly have nothing with her. she’s a bit like wallpaper to me–it’s everywhere and I don’t know or care why this is the case but it’s better than say, catching creeping disease so carry on.

    I cared enough to read some of the comments but not nearly enough to bother with the quotations. So it goes.

  19. IrishGirl says:

    @Celia: No, the comments here are not similar at all to the ones on the Kristen Stewart thread. I can’t read or even breeze through those threads…the vitriol is overwhelming. I don’t share that vitriol about Stewart, though I’m not a fan, but I don’t get why she’s hated by what seems like a lot of people. Jennifer Lawrence is beloved, that’s for sure.

    • Andrea1 says:

      That’s true! I agree the hate for kstew is So crazy what made it worse was the mini copper scandal. Reminds Me of Angelina Jolie the hate was there before she got together with Brad and after they got together it became worse..

  20. drea says:

    I thought this was standard stuff. Don’t most celebrities complain about the paps at one point or another? I remember when Clooney went in on them after the death of Princess Diana, and the stand-off that resulted after.

    Considering she’s that girl who a paparazzo took telephoto images of inside her hotel room and on her balcony smoking a blunt, I’m not surprised she’s pissed, LOL.

    Anyhow, in my opinion, it’s blowing things out of proportion to label her ungrateful just because she doesn’t like the paps and she thinks she should have more privacy. I think I’d reserve that accusation for when she starts bitching about the studios, the agencies, the Hollywood system, or her co-workers.

  21. Jackson says:

    I agree that she doesn’t sound ungrateful….yet.
    I don’t know why actors can’t just say “It’s probably my least favorite aspect of being an actor, but it comes with the territory.” And for better or worse, it *does* come with the territory. I know it, you know it, they know it. Whine to your friends and family about it, but don’t do it in an interview or you risk alienating a large segment of people who might decide not to see your movie, listen to your music, or buy whatever you’re selling. There are an obscene amount of perks that are bestowed upon celebrities – to complain about the one negative aspect of it IS just plain ungrateful.

  22. Marianne says:

    I don’t think she’s being ungrateful. Its not like she’s saying that she hates the movies she does or that she hates certain directors. She just hates the invasion of her privacy which is totally understandable. I think people tend to forget that celebrities are human beings too. Can you imagine if you were having a really bad day only to be greeted by a bunch of photogs that followed you everywhere?

    The paps will yell out nasty stuff to them all the time in hopes that they get a reaction. They will chase them down on the highway. It doesn’t matter whether they make a million dollars or not, people shouldnt have to put up with that.