Jennifer Lawrence Opens Up About Female Action Heroes And Prejudice

Jennifer Lawrence counts her latest film Causeway as a life-altering experience. The September release coincided with Viola Davis' The Woman King, which was released the same week. Both female-led films have created a stir in Hollywood for not just the cinematic experience they offer but also for paving the way for female actors to finally be recognised as solo bankable stars.

Variety's popular one-on-one show, Actors on Actors, features actors across platforms to sit across each other and discuss their journeys and latest projects, had Davis and Lawrences appear for a recent episode. The two actors shared their stories about the highs and lows they faced in Hollywood and how they eventually became trailblazers in their own way.

In the latest episode of Variety Studio's Actors on Actors, Viola Davis and Jennifer Lawrence discussed their craft, prejudices they faced, Hollywood's obsession with body weight, and how motherhood changed their lives.

Suggested reading: Jennifer Lawrence Reveals About Miscarriages, Slams Roe Vs. Wade, Pay Gap

Jennifer Lawrence On Female Action Heroes

Jennifer Lawrence and Viola Davis have not just starred in these Causeway and The Woman King respectively, but they've also produced these films. As the duo returns on tour and engages in a conversation as a line-up to the award season, they discuss some interesting and surprising facts about their journeys. 56-year-old Davis underwent weight training for about five hours a day for three months to essay the role of warrior Nanisca, leader of an all-women warrior group from 1823 West Africa. In Causeway, Lawrence plays the role of a soldier Lynsey, who returns home after she suffers a traumatic brain injury.

Female action heroes

Lawrence, who as a young girl starred in the Hunger Games a decade back recalled the time when she came face to face with how the gender gap in the films concerning action figure leads was prominent. She shared with Davis how was told that placing a woman as a lead in an action film would not work at the box office because no one would watch. She reflected, "I was told both girls and boys can watch male action leads but boys cannot identify with female action leads," she said, adding she feels immense happiness every time she notices a film come out that shatters the old-age beliefs that often excluded women from most opportunities.

Davis, on the other hand, recalled the time when she could never imagine someone she could relate to being cast in action lead roles as a black woman. "I wondered what studio will put money on a film like The Woman King that has someone like me in it. I wondered how will convince everyone that a Black woman can lead the global box office," she recalled.

Obsession with weight

Lawrence shared a not-so-surprising anecdote from her Hunger Games days when the entire conversation around her character was limited to her body weight. "I was constantly asked how much weight I would lose before filming for the character Katniss Everdeen." She shared how, earlier, most conversations were only limited to how an actor looked and not the kind of craft they brought with them, which was demotivating in some way.

On parental anxiety  

In a heart-to-heart conversation, the two actors discussed their own experiences around motherhood shedding light on how the pressure of being a perfect mother can sometimes be challenging.  Lawrence disclosed how being a mother makes her anxious because she often wonders if she is doing things the right way or doing everything that keeps her baby safe and happy. Davis, on the other hand, discussed how every motherhood experience s personal and different from the other, and doing the best she can, without comparison to someone else's easy parenting, is the only way that can help her move forward.