Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence used to suffer debilitating social anxiety. You just wouldn’t know it by looking at her during Monday night’s Los Angeles Hunger Games premiere.
During the event at the Nokia Theater LA Live, the Catching Fire star wore a sheer gray-blue Christian Dior gown that revealed a black leotard. She also showed off her new pixie haircut.
Jennifer’s smokin’ body wasn’t the only thing she revealed on Monday. In an interview with French publication Madame Figaro, the 23-year-old actress spoke about the social anxiety she felt during her school years and how acting helped her regain confidence. (Text translated by The Huffington Post.)
My nickname was “Nitro” as nitroglycerin. I was hyperactive, curious about everything. When my mother told me about my childhood, she always told me there was like a light in me, a spark that inspired me constantly. When I entered the school, the light went out. We never knew what it was, a kind of social anxiety. But I had friends. I especially think I do not feel smart because I was not good enough student … I think some people are stupid, but eventually get out and I was one of those.
I went to see a shrink, nothing worked. One day, I begged my parents to take me to a casting, we went to New York and that’s where I started acting. Just on stage, my mother saw the change that was taking place in me. She saw my anxieties disappear. She found her daughter, the one who had this light and joy before school. I finally found a way, open the door to a universe that I understood, that was good for me and made me happy, because I felt capable, whereas before I felt worthless. This is why mom fought for me to be an actress.
These days, Jennifer is widely regarded as one of the most popular celebrities in Hollywood — both because of her acting abilities and likable personality. Fortunately for us, it’s unlikely she’ll disappear from the big screens anytime soon.
In addition to two more Hunger Games movies, she’s set to appear in American Hustle, X-Men and a few other pre-production films.
Hunger Games: Catching Fire debuts nationwide on Nov. 22.
