Jennifer Lawrence says early publicity persona embarrassed her

Jennifer Lawrence said in a recent profile that she now finds her early publicity persona embarrassing and has grown increasingly cautious about doing press as she promotes new films. The Oscar winner recalled that the candid, self-deprecating interviews that once endeared her to audiences later provoked backlash, leaving her to reassess how she engages with the media.

Lawrence described watching her old interviews and wincing. "So hyper. So embarrassing," she said, adding that the on-camera persona was "my genuine personality" but also "a defense mechanism." She told a fellow actor that each interview felt like a loss of control over her craft, saying, "Every time I do an interview, I think, I can't do this to myself again." At the height of her fame she said adrenaline from relentless publicity and paparazzi left her feeling chased and sleep-deprived.

The shift in public perception, she said, was striking. Lawrence pointed to a 2016 sketch in which a peer impersonated her on a late-night comedy show and called the portrayal "spot on." She said that as the heightened persona circulated, some observers concluded she was being inauthentic. "I felt... rejected not for my movies,...