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Jennifer Lawrence attends Sony Pictures' "No Hard Feelings" premiere at AMC Lincoln Square Theater on June 20, 2023 in New York City.

Jennifer Lawrence reveals devastating rejection and shocking twist of fate

The Hunger Games actress’ sliding doors moment

Faye James
Senior Editor
June 27, 2023
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Jennifer Lawrence recently opened up about a surprising and pivotal point in her career, a twist of fate that saw her missing out on a certain iconic vampire romance.

While appearing on The Rewatchables podcast, the 32-year-old actress candidly shared her experience auditioning for the lead role of Bella Swan in the global phenomenon Twilight, a part that was eventually clinched by Kristen Stewart. 

She revealed: "I auditioned for Twilight. They turned me down immediately," she said, her voice tinged with reminiscence, "I didn't even get a callback."

Could we have seen Jennifer caught in the immortal love triangle of Twilight instead of Stewart? Pondering that alternate reality, Jennifer reflected on how different her life might have been. "My life would've been totally different," she mused.

Jennifer Lawrence attends Sony Pictures' "No Hard Feelings" premiere© Dia Dipasupil
Jennifer Lawrence attends Sony Pictures' "No Hard Feelings" premiere

It was a twist of fate that led her to the role that truly propelled her career - Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. 

But it was a decision she grappled with due to the enormity of fame that came with it. "I almost didn't do Hunger Games because Twilight had come out and that fandom had happened," she revealed.

Concerned about the overwhelming stardom that the role offered, Jennifer confessed to her initial reluctance. "When I was trying to talk to people about making this decision after they offered it to me, I was just like, 'I don't know.' It was so hard to explain to people, like, I don't think you understand this level of fame." A level of fame, she stated, that "was just never something I had in mind."

MORE: Jennifer Lawrence on why she couldn't take acting break after son Cy's birth

Jennifer Lawrence attends the Berlin Premiere of No Hard Feelings© Gerald Matzka
Jennifer Lawrence attends the Berlin Premiere of No Hard Feelings

Known for her candid and grounded persona, the actress admitted, "I wanted to do indies. I wanted to do good films, but I didn't want to be the most famous person on the planet. That's a very different life than what I had pictured for myself." 

She even went on to confess that had she become the face of Twilight, she would've been "miserable."

Her destiny, however, took a different turn. After the mammoth success of The Hunger Games, Jennifer has since had a stellar career, even bagging an Oscar. 

MORE: Jennifer Lawrence just gave the jumpsuit a princess makeover

Jennifer Lawrence attends the "Anatomie D'une Chute (Anatomy Of A Fall)" red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2023 in Cannes, France© Getty
Jennifer Lawrence attends the "Anatomie D'une Chute (Anatomy Of A Fall)" red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes film festival at Palais des Festivals on May 21, 2023 in Cannes, France

Her journey now brings her to the refreshing new comedy No Hard Feelings, where she plays Maddie, a woman struggling financially, who agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward son, Percy (played by Andrew Barth Feldman), before he sets off for college.

Remembering the moment Andrew walked into the audition, Jennifer enthused: "When Andrew left his audition, the door closed and we all looked at each other and we were like, 'That's our Percy.'" But there was a hitch. "And then they were like, 'There's one complication. He's supposed to go to Harvard.' And we were like, 'Is that a joke? He was fully the character.'" 

Jennifer Lawrence: step inside the world of the Oscar-winning Hunger Games star

Unfazed, she swiftly picked up the phone and said: "Andrew, I have really bad news. You're not gonna be able to finish your semester at Harvard."