Earlier this week, actor Jennifer Lawrence was discussing the initial hesitation from studios to develop The Hunger Games films, with executives claiming that audiences weren’t interested in seeing female-fronted action films, with her specific phrasing of such remarks igniting a backlash on social media. Her comments were received so poorly that she felt she needed to speak out about the interview, noting that, while in conversation with Viola Davis, she misspoke and made a “blunder” as she was nervous talking to such an iconic performer. She also noted that, while she has previously made flubs that made the rounds in media, those previous remarks were more egregious and obvious miscommunications.
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In her original comments during a conversation for Variety, Lawrence expressed, “I remember when I was doing Hunger Games, nobody had ever put a woman in the lead of an action movie because it wouldn’t work — [because] we were told girls and boys can both identify with a male lead, but boys cannot identify with a female lead.”
While clarifying her remarks to The Hollywood Reporter, Lawrence detailed, “That’s certainly not what I meant to say at all. I know that I am not the only woman who has ever led an action film. What I meant to emphasize was how good it feels. And I meant that with Viola — to blow past these old myths that you hear about … about the chatter that you would hear around that kind of thing. But it was my blunder and it came out wrong. I had nerves talking to a living legend.”
Initial reactions to Lawrence’s comments were quick to point out actors like Pam Grier in Coffy, Sigourney Weaver in Aliens, and Uma Thurman in Kill Bill as some of the many examples of female-led action films, yet the number of such examples is still far lower than the number of male-fronted action films that have been released over the decades.
Lawrence also expressed what inspired her to speak out to clarify these comments as opposed to previous inaccuracies.
“One time I was quoted saying that Donald Trump was responsible for hurricanes. I felt that one was ridiculous, that it was so stupid I didn’t need to comment,” the actor reflected. “But this one, I was like, ‘I think I want to clarify.’”
A prequel to The Hunger Games is currently being developed.
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