London - Early on in her career, she was told she was too big to be a Hollywood star.
But one Oscar, two Golden Globe awards and a string of box office hits later, Jennifer Lawrence has more than proved her critics wrong.
And on Tuesday the Hunger Games actress said she hates the “focus on weight and size” in her industry.
The 25-year-old, who is tipped for more awards success with her latest film Joy, said: “I don’t think an actress needs to be skinny to be attractive and it sends the wrong message to young women. It’s important that, as actresses, we need to establish ourselves first and foremost for our talent and not for our physical appearance. I hate all the focus on weight and size that you have in our business.”
In the same interview with Grazia magazine, Lawrence – who is the world’s highest paid actress, earning £34-million, according to Forbes – revealed she is still battling against the gender pay gap in Tinseltown.
It was well-publicised that she and Amy Adams were paid less than their male co-stars, Bradley Cooper and Christian Bale, for the film American Hustle.
Lawrence, who won the best actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook in 2012, said: “I’m aware that movie stars earn too much money in relation to the rest of the world, but it’s the principle that’s important.
“I can’t stand a lack of fairness... I know there has never been such a successful franchise (The Hunger Games) with a woman in the lead role in Hollywood history. And if that encourages a rethinking of the studio bosses... then I will be very grateful to have done my part.”
But as another year of success, including the release of the third Hunger Games film, draws to an end, Lawrence won’t be celebrating; instead, she plans to “do nothing” on New Year’s Eve.
She told Graham Norton on his pre-recorded BBC1 chat show: ‘” really hate (New Year’s Eve). I’ve never had a good one... It’s always a disappointment.”
Joy, which hits cinemas on Friday, tells the true story of Joy Mangano, a divorced mother who became a multi-millionaire after developing a self-wringing mop.
Lawrence revealed in a 2013 interview that she was once told she was fat and would be fired if she did not lose weight.
Daily Mail