intro: As she reprises her role as renegade Katniss Everdeen in "Hunger Games: Catching Fire," Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence is proving to be every bit the heroine offscreen as well.
While promoting the "Hunger Games" sequel, which had its London premiere Monday and opens in the U.S. on Nov. 22, the 23-year-old actress has grabbed headlines for her comments on everything from sex in the entertainment industry to her weight to being a role model. Her refreshing honesty, relatability and levelheadedness have earned her kudos and a whole new generation of fans.
Watch Jennifer Lawrence Bash Mean Girl Culture
If you haven't yet joined the bandwagon, here are 10 reasons to love Jennifer Lawrence:
quicklist: title: She's Not Afraid to be a Role Model text: Lawrence has said she makes "conscious decisions" to be a role model when it comes to her younger fans. "Growing up, I didn't have a female hero the way that Katniss is," she said of her character in "The Hunger Games." "I think she's a wonderful role model for young girls. I'm happy that they have a character like that." media: 20876347
quicklist: title: She's There for Her Fans text: Walking the red carpet for the "Catching Fire" London premiere, the "Silver Linings Playbook" actress spied a young fan in a wheelchair who appeared to be crying. Lawrence had the barricade moved aside so she could kneel beside the girl to talk to her. In a video posted on YouTube, the actress is seen hugging the girl and posing for a picture with her before leaving the fan with a smile on her face. media: 20876337
quicklist: title: She Doesn't Buy Into Hollywood's Body Obsession text: Lawrence said when she first got into acting, she was told she needed to lose weight. "Somebody told me I was fat, that I was going to get fired if I didn't lose a certain amount of weight," the actress revealed to Harper's Bazaar U.K. in its November issue. "They brought in pictures of me where I was basically naked, and told me to use them as motivation for my diet." Today, she dares anyone to treat her like that again. "If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I'm like, 'You can go f**k yourself,'" she said.
quicklist: title: She Disses Mean Girls text: Lawrence slung arrows at the mean girls who judge and criticize. "Girls are just mean to each other. We're just so unsupportive," Lawrence told "Access Hollywood." Singling out shows like E!'s "Fashion Police," she said, "I watch these women on these television shows pointing to these women and judging them and calling them ugly and calling them fat, and it's just like, where have we come, why are we here?"
quicklist: title: She's Not Afraid to Attack the Entertainment Industry text: Speaking to BBC's Newsnight about her opinion on the sexualization of young women in Hollywood, Lawrence said, "It is a part of the entertainment industry that sells. For some disgusting reason, young sex sells even more." Without mentioning by name her co-star Liam Hemsworth's ex-fiance Miley Cyrus, Lawrence said, "It's not really something that I worry about because I feel like everybody's kind of got their own path. They have their own way of finding themselves, and for some people that's how they feel best, that's how they feel sexy, that's how they want to perform."
quicklist: title: She's a Fan Girl text: Lawrence lost her cool this past July when she ran into Jeff Bridges at Comic-Con. The actress gingerly approached Bridges, 63, before she lost her nerve and ran away, only to return somewhat chagrined -- and the whole encounter was caught on camera by "Extra." "Oh my God, I'm like your biggest fan, I'm so sorry," a flustered Lawrence said, giving her idol a hug. media: 19758969
quicklist: title: She Had a Crush on Justin Timberlake text: Like most girls coming of age in the '90s, Lawrence had a crush on Justin Timberlake. "Nineties Justin Timberlake though, like 'NSYNC Justin Timberlake," she explained recently during a "Fireside Chat with Marissa Mayer at Yahoo." "I remember like when I bought the 'NSYNC CD and I was listening to it and I was flipping through, remember how CDs had the pull-out picture things, and I was like getting so overwhelmed with hormones that I almost threw up."
quicklist: title: She Can Go Toe-to-Toe With Jack Nicholson text: When Jack Nicholson interrupted Lawrence's post-Oscars interview to flirt with her earlier this year, Lawrence held her own. "You're being really rude," Lawrence joked when he apologized for butting in. As he exited, she gasped, "Oh my God. Is he still there?" only to have him pop his head back in and say, "I'll be waiting," in true Nicholson fashion. media: 18587986
quicklist: title: She's Not Afraid to Go Short text: Lawrence's new pixie cut was a surprise after years of seeing her with hair below her shoulders, but even more surprising -- and refreshing -- was the casualness with which she decided to chop it off. "I just kept putting it back in a bun, and I was like, 'Well, I don't want to do this,' so I just cut it off," she said during a recent "Fireside Chat with Marissa Mayer at Yahoo." media: 20876432
quicklist: title: She Falls at the Oscars and Jokes About It text: On her way up to the stage to claim the coveted best actress Oscar for "Silver Linings Playbook" earlier this year, Lawrence tripped going up the stairs. With the audience on its feet applauding and with millions watching around the world, the actress brushed it off with a joke. "You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell," she said in her acceptance speech. "That's really embarrassing." media: 18586564