Claire Foy is a British actress known for her role as the young Queen Elizabeth II in Netflix’s The Crown. Her portrayal was widely acclaimed by fans and critics, thus earning her a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
In a roundtable discussion, the Women Talking star joined renowned actresses Emma Corrin, Danielle Deadwyler, Jennifer Lawrence, Michelle Williams, and Michelle Yeoh to talk about their strategies for traversing the chaotic world of Hollywood.
Jennifer Lawrence Was Initially Rejected For A Role That Earned Her An Oscar Nomination
The Hollywood Reporter hosted its annual Actress Roundtable discussion where the aforementioned celebrities had the opportunity to talk about their previous projects and personal sentiments about their profession.
When prompted with the question, “What do you do when you really want a role?”, The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence shared that she was initially rejected when she auditioned for Debra Granik’s Winter’s Bone. She said:
“When Winter’s Bone turned me down, they were doing L.A. casting that I went to, and they were like, “No, thank you.” And then, they opened up casting in New York, and I flew to New York and just reentered like a stranger.”
Claire Foy could not help but exclaim, “They turned you down?” She was dumbstruck by the revelation, knowing Lawrence had won an Oscar for her role in Silver Linings Playbook (2012). Since Winter’s Bone was released in 2010, and her famous portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games was in 2012, she was pretty much an unknown star. Interestingly, Winter’s Bone earned Lawrence her first Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in a Leading Role.
The No Hard Feelings star speculated that perhaps, during the time she auditioned for the role, the casting directors were scared she would not be able to deliver.
Claire Foy Reveals The Secret To Landing A Dream Role
In the same conversation with THR, Claire Foy shared her experiences of being put in a box, or simply being typecast because she was very good at a specific kind of role. The Vampire Academy star explained:
“When I first started acting, and I was doing lots of British TV, it’s just inevitable that everybody goes, ‘You’ve done that, so we’ll give you this.’ I’m like, ‘But it’s almost identical.’ Very often, it’s the things that you don’t do that navigate your career.”
She said that the best way to get out of that situation and ultimately bag the role she wants is to be vocal about it and tell the agency or studio that what they offer is not something that would make her improve as an actress or increase her repertoire of skills. Claire Foy further added:
“Sometimes it is worth making the decision that seems a bit strange, but you have to be given the opportunity to do that. And that doesn’t happen, and it hasn’t happened for so many people for so long.”
Claire Foy also reiterated the importance of saying no. In a creative industry where being an actress feels like giving up one’s agency for the sake of landing a job, the Season of the Witch star said:
“I’ve just started to not think I have to do anyone a favor. I’m being employed to do a job. You’re paying me. I’m here. I’m committed. I want to do this. This is great. Because an industry’s creative, sometimes I think there is an idea that it doesn’t have to be professional. It should always be professional.”
Lawrence agreed to this, saying, “They’ll call you a crazy b*tch” when actors prioritize their boundaries.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
