Jennifer Lawrence, the 35-year-old Oscar-winning actress, has made a stunning admission about her years of political activism and attacks on President Donald Trump and Republicans.
In a recent appearance on The Interview podcast sponsored by the New York Times, Lawrence acknowledged that celebrities constantly voicing their political opinions may be doing more harm than good.
The Mother star revealed she is experiencing what she calls a “complicated recalibration” regarding her public political statements.
Lawrence spent years as an outspoken critic of Trump and Republican policies, but now says she’s rethinking that approach.
When the podcast host attempted to draw Lawrence into a political discussion, the actress hesitated.
She reflected on her behavior during Trump’s first administration, describing herself as acting like “a chicken with my head cut off.”
Lawrence made a striking acknowledgment about the ineffectiveness of celebrity political endorsements.
She stated that “election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for.”
The actress then posed a pointed question to herself about her past activism.
She asked what purpose her political commentary served if it only added “fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart.”
Lawrence emphasized the deep divisions currently affecting America.
“We are so divided,” she admitted during the interview.
The actress expressed concern about how her political opinions might impact her professional work. Lawrence said she doesn’t want to “start turning people off to films and to art that could change consciousness or change the world because they don’t like my political opinions.”
She stated her desire to “protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I’m doing.”
Lawrence indicated she will only speak publicly on political matters if she believes her words can contribute to “some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution.”
Lawrence acknowledged observing the negative career consequences other actors have faced due to their political activism.
She described watching actors “who have had incredible careers and made incredible contributions and then one half of the internet doesn’t want to see their face anymore.”
The actress said witnessing these situations upsets her deeply.
“I get so upset for those people and it feels so wrong,” she explained.
Lawrence now prefers to express her political views through her artistic work rather than public statements.
She noted that “a lot of movies coming out from my production company are expressions of the political landscape and that’s how I feel like I can be helpful.”
When asked directly about her past political statements, Lawrence said she regrets them.
“I regret everything I’ve ever done or said,” she stated, though she appeared to be somewhat joking.
The actress acknowledged that Trump’s second term feels different to her because voters made an informed choice.
“He said what he was going to do. We knew what he did for four years. He was very clear. And that’s what we chose,” Lawrence said, recognizing the will of the American electorate.
Lawrence also reflected on her youth and how she conducted herself in public during her twenties.
She admitted she is now “a lot more nervous about whatever I say publicly.”
The actress expressed a desire to avoid giving interviews filled with “sound bites and a word salad,” calling such content uninteresting and inauthentic.
She is currently working to find a balance between being authentic and being responsible with her public platform.
Lawrence’s latest film, Die My Love, is set to hit theaters on Nov. 7.
The movie tells the story of a woman who descends into madness while living in an isolated house in Montana.
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