Jennifer Lawrence is done talking politics. During her appearance on The Interview podcast with Lulu Garcia-Navarro from The New York Times, the Oscar winner admitted she’s learned that being loud about politics doesn’t necessarily change minds, especially when it comes to Donald Trump.
“I don’t really know if I should,” she said when asked whether she’d keep discussing politics publicly. “The first Trump administration was so wild and just how can we let this stand? I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for.”
It’s a surprising shift for someone who once penned a passionate op-ed blasting Trump’s 2016 victory. These days, Lawrence sounds more reflective than fiery. “So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided,” she said.
Lawrence is balancing her instinct to speak up with her desire to protect her art. “I think I’m in a complicated recalibration because I’m also an artist,” she explained. “With this temperature and the way things can turn out, I don’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. I want to protect my craft so that you can still get lost in what I’m doing.”
It’s a fair point. No one wants their latest film boycotted because of a tweet. Lawrence’s new approach sounds less like apathy and more like strategy. “If I can’t say something that’s going to speak to some kind of peace or lowering the temperature or some sort of solution, I don’t want to be a part of the problem,” she said.
She’s also empathetic toward other actors who’ve faced online backlash. “You watch these actors’ faces who have had incredible careers and made incredible contributions and then one half of the internet doesn’t want to see their face anymore. I get so upset for those people and it feels so wrong,” she said.
Instead of hopping on political soapboxes, Lawrence is channeling her convictions into her work. Her production company has produced projects like Bread and Roses, a documentary highlighting Afghan women, and Zurawski v. Texas, which tackles abortion rights. “I try to express my politics through my work,” she said. “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.”
And while she jokes about regretting “everything I’ve ever done or said,” she’s self-aware enough to know that Trump’s return to the ballot box feels different. “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,” she said.
After years of living under a microscope, Lawrence admits she’s learned when to pull back. She’s older now, less impulsive, and more aware of how quickly a quote can turn into clickbait. “I’ve also grown up. And yeah, I’m a lot more nervous about whatever I say publicly. I don’t want to give an interview that’s a bunch of sound bites and a word salad,” she explained. “I’m trying to strike that balance.”
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