Jennifer Lawrence Gave Herself 5 Years to Make It as an Actor; What Was Her Backup Plan?
To say that Jennifer Lawrence is a successful actor would be a gross understatement. One could describe the trajectory of her career as a meteoric rise. From heading a massive film franchise like The Hunger Games to winning an Oscar at the age of 22, Lawrence has achieved a massive amount of success. While Lawrence took a prolonged break from Hollywood, it’s hard to picture her quitting acting completely. But the thespian had every intention of doing just that if she didn’t become successful. So what was her backup plan?
Jennifer Lawrence dropped out of middle school to pursue acting
Lawrence caught the acting bug at a very young age. But she had her sights set on a professional career rather than school plays. In fact, she was so confident that acting was her path that she dropped out of middle school. Instead of going to high school, The Hunger Games star moved from her hometown of Kentucky to New York at the age of 14. She was determined to make it, prioritizing her career over friends, school, and more.
The ‘No Hard Feelings’ star gave herself a deadline and backup plan for acting
In an interview with The Courier-Journal via AL.com, Lawrence described her first summer as an actor in New York. She stressed that she felt like she was meant to do it. “I cannot explain [how I felt.] I was out of the box, [thinking] I don’t have to be a teacher or a doctor or even be good at math,” Lawrence shared. “I’m good at this. I can memorize a script from the first time reading it through. I can stand on my mark. It was like, ‘Mom, you can’t take me away from this,’ and she said. ‘I know I can’t.'”
But just because Lawrence was determined doesn’t mean that she wasn’t realistic. She gave herself a deadline for accomplishing her dreams. She even had another career in mind as a backup plan in the event that she wasn’t able to make her dreams a reality. “I committed to become an actress in five years,” Lawrence shared with Ciak Magazine. “Otherwise, I would have been a nurse. Or a doctor.”
Lawrence’s priorities have shifted a bit in recent years
Fortunately, for Lawrence, she was able to beat her deadline. She quickly became an indie darling before sinking her teeth into blockbuster films as well. These days, Lawrence has her pick of projects. However, she’s found balance in her life as well. Instead of going from project to project with little to no rest, she has other aspects of her life that she prioritizes as well. Certainly, becoming a mom has shifted the actor’s schedule. Still, it seems like Lawrence is committed to acting, in some capacity, for the long haul. Her backup plan seems to be a thing of the past.
“Acting is something that makes me happier than ever, so if I could do this for the rest of my life, I’d be the happiest person on the planet,” she shared with Courier-Journal. “In the case where it wouldn’t work out I would love to be a nurse practitioner.” In recent years, Lawrence has also shared that she’d become a housekeeper if she were to quit acting. But considering her new film, No Hard Feelings, releases soon, we don’t see her quitting anytime soon.
