Jennifer Lawrence Once Thought She 'Couldn't Do Anything Right' and Took a Break From Acting

Jennifer Lawrence made her imprint in the acting industry after her stellar performance as Katniss Everdeen in the blockbuster franchise, Hunger Games. Fans are waiting with bated breath for the new installment of this franchise set to release later in the year. However, there was a time when Lawrence decided to take a hiatus from Hollywood. In a November 2021 interview with Vanity Fair, she revealed that she wanted to sharpen her skill and work on her mental well-being at the time.

Lawrence's versatile, agile, and emotionally moving performance as young Everdeen has thrilled fans over the years. She has captured the hearts of several critics and filmmakers. Shortly after her appearance in Hunger Games, she was able to snag roles in Oscar-winning films such as Silver Linings Playbook in which she appeared alongside Bradley Cooper. She also had notable performances in films such as the X-Men franchise, Red Sparrow, Passenger, and more. It seems there is no role this actress can't pull off. Yet, Lawrence opted for a break from acting at one time.

In the Vanity Fair cover story for the months of December 2021 and January 2022, Lawrence opened up about the reason behind her decision for the hiatus. She emphasized that she had to take her emotional health into account. At the beginning of the interview, the actress expressed her nervousness about stepping back into the limelight after a long time.

"I haven't spoken to the world in forever. I have all these new accessories added to my life that I obviously want to protect," said Lawrence. She went on to add, "I'm nervous for me. I'm nervous for the readers!"

As the conversation in the interview proceeded, Lawrence highlighted why she decided to step away in the first place. According to Lawrence the four films before her break - Passengers, Mother!, Red Sparrow, and X-Men: Dark Phoenix - were heavily criticized and deemed "box office disappointments." This really broke the actress. With respect to her performances in the past, she said, "I was not pumping out the quality that I should have."

Lawrence then went on to reflect upon the negative emotions of self-loathing. She spoke about feeling that the audience and even her colleagues didn't want her around. "I just think that everybody had gotten sick of me. I'd gotten sick of me," claimed Lawrence. She then went on to say that she was unable to produce high-quality acting or do "anything right." Lawrence recalled being a "people pleaser" and taking up acting jobs for that sole reason.

All these negative emotions eventually began to hit Lawrence all at once, leading her to the conclusion that she really did need a break. "I reached a point where people were not pleased just by my existence, said Lawrence. She spoke about how this feeling gave her a reality check about her career. Lawrence said, "So that kind of shook me out of thinking that work or your career can bring any kind of peace to your soul."

Since her break, the actress made her comeback alongside the star-packed cast of Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Jonah Hill, and Rob Morgan for the film, Don't Look Up. The film was released in the year 2022 and was an indisputable success gaining praise from viewers worldwide.