Jennifer Lawrence is inevitably one of those high-profile star-studded celebrities in the entertainment industry, getting under the spotlight every now and then because of her impeccable charm and incredibly down-to-earth personality. Besides the tremendous talent she possesses, she is also not new to pulling stunts like showing up all-natural to an audition for a movie.
Yes, Lawrence actually did show up without makeup and skimpy outfits to the audition as she felt that was exactly what the role of Ree Dolly in Winter’s Bone required of her. But what’s surprising is that while the actress did everything in her power to score the iconic role that even scored her an Oscar nod, her efforts weren’t reciprocated equally and she was paid only $10,000.
Jennifer Lawrence Went All-Natural to Her Breakout Film’s Audition
Back in the late 2000s, when the castings went open for Debra Granik’s critically acclaimed masterpiece Winter’s Bone, 19-year-old Jennifer Lawrence was one of the many young actresses who auditioned for the role of Ree Dolly. But the way she auditioned was a lot different from all the others.
During an interview with the Ocean County Register, the filmmaker shared the same, saying:
I think a lot of those young women showed up in skimpy outfits because they were taught that that is what gets noticed in Hollywood.
As opposed to them, Lawrence decided to go all natural — something that had Granik saying: “I loved that Jennifer felt strong enough about the character to show up without makeup.”
Continuing, she expressed how it further made her feel how accurate Lawrence was for the role, saying:
Jennifer, who is beautiful and sexy in real life, proved to me that her commitment and affection for this character was profound. She is in every scene in this movie, and I needed that commitment from the actress who was going to play her.
Needless to say, this sheer dedication to the role perfectly landed the X-Men: Days of Future Past actress in the movie, leading to her giving such an extraordinarily star-studded performance that besides the critics, even the Academy tremendously recognized it with its four Oscar nods.
And yet, the amount Lawrence received in return was nothing compared to how hard she worked.
Jennifer Lawrence Earned a Meager Paycheck for Her Oscar-Nominated Role
Thanks to the incomparable storyline and Lawrence’s breathtaking performance, Winter’s Bone received thorough acclamation from the Academy as well as audiences worldwide, which eventually resulted in the actress’ breakthrough role in the industry.
Moreover, out of the four nominations it received, one was for Best Actress in a Leading Role awarded to The Hunger Games actress — Lawrence’s first nomination for an Academy Award. Not only that, but the movie also went on to perform quite tremendously at the global box office.
According to Box Office Mojo, the masterpiece was made on a budget of a mere $2 million, and yet, managed to gross over $13.79 million worldwide. However, when it comes to the amount Lawrence went home with, the numbers were quite low.
As per the digits listed by Vogue, the amount that the actress received for her outstanding performance was only $3,000 per week. Since the shoot lasted around 25 days in the Ozarks, her total paycheck summed up to at least $10,000 — which is nothing compared to her paychecks now.
All in all, putting it in a nutshell, Jennifer Lawrence pretty much gave it her all while working on the movie that granted her a breakthrough in the industry and her first Oscar nod, and yet, the only thing returned she got in return was intense fame.
You can watch Winter’s Bone on Prime Video.
