After Elle magazine dubbed her a "game changer," and Rolling Stone called her "the coolest chick in Hollywood," it's hard to believe Jennifer Lawrence nearly turned down the role that's made her one of Hollywood's biggest stars.
"I had chosen my path. I was going to be the indie actor. I was going to drive my kids in a minivan and have a normal life," Lawrence tells The Daily Beast of her hesitation to star as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games." "I knew if I said yes to this, it would change my life. I wasn’t sure if I was ready."
Fortunately, Lawrence received some straight talk from her mom. "My mom told me I was being a hypocrite. Then I realized if I was going to be well known for something, this was actually something I would be proud of," she explains.
And while Lawrence has a reputation for ignoring critics and refusing to sacrifice her health for her career, the 22-year-old actress admits she's still not used to being stalked by paparazzi.
"To your instincts, you’re being followed. You’re being hunted. You just want to run and get away. That’s something that I’m still getting used to. I’m still getting used to how to walk into places. Do I look all the way down?" she says.
A self-confessed "one-year-clean no Googler," Lawrence has more on her mind than a possible Oscar for Best Actress.
"It’s so weird for a 22-year-old to say it. I do feel like the reason I was put on this Earth is to be a mother, which is why it’s funny for me to end up with such an overwhelming career," she says. "Ever since I was a baby, I was always playing house."