14 DAY TRIAL // Jennifer Lawrence is nominated for an Oscar for the second year in a row, with the only difference that, for the 2014 edition, she’s in the running for Best Supporting Actress, and not Best Actress. She has been confirmed as one of the presenters at the gala and has done a handful of appearances and interviews but, other than that, she’s been largely absent from this year’s awards circuit.
And you can’t blame her for wanting a break. The actress, who has won over critics and fans with her stellar performance in “American Hustle,” tells Deadline in a new interview that she made a conscious decision to skip most galas in this year’s awards season.
This explains why last year she was practically everywhere, from every magazine to every talk show and every awards show, no matter how insignificant or not, and why she’s been largely absent for the 2014 race.
“It has been a bit of a blessing to be away, and not really aware of what has been going on. It actually has been really nice,” the actress muses.
In fact, it’s been so much of a blessing that she can’t possibly think of her return to the Oscars in terms of “exciting,” especially if she recalls how she tripped on her light pink Dior gown and fell down the stairs as she was going up to collect her Best Actress win. It was one of the most talked about incidents during the Oscarcast and is clearly not one she will easily forget.
“Exciting? I’m trying to go back to that place where dress fittings seemed exciting. I’ve had one fitting here in Atlanta and I think I have the final fitting on the day of the awards. So I just hope it fits,” she says.
“Ha! Have you not seen my last Oscar moment? I handled myself so well. I think it’s really unfair to make a person speak in front of the entire world at a moment like that because it is just so overwhelming. It was terrifying and what I regret now is not doing what you’re supposed to, which is even having a few words, something, that you can say, or even some idea if they do call your name,” she continues.
Jennifer swears she didn’t even dare to dream she would win, so she didn’t have a few words prepared, let alone an entire speech. In the shock of the moment, after hearing her name called out and then making a fool of herself by falling on all fours on the stairs, she barely managed to put together a half-decent acceptance speech, one that did not include a thank-you to director David Russell or film producer Harvey Weinstein.
“It looked like I was drunk. I did learn, though, not to let the dress gather in the front when you walk up the stairs,” she says.
So, for the Oscars 2014, which will take place on March 2, Jennifer will be prepared, both for the moment she has to present an award and the possibility of winning Best Supporting Actress. And she promises she won’t fall down the stairs again.