The trash TV shows Jennifer Lawrence is obsessed with: “I had to defend myself to Woody Harrelson”
Acting is a tough job. While many people dream of becoming Hollywood stars, actors can be easily worn down by challenging roles which test them both mentally and physically. Paired with the difficulties found within the industry, such as abuses of power and long working hours, sometimes actors just need an escape.
While some stars turn to drugs, alcohol and partying as a form of stress release and escapism, Jennifer Lawrence prefers something a little more tame: reality television. The actor has portrayed her fair share of complex and demanding roles, such as Ree in The Winter’s Bone – a teenager facing poverty; Katniss in The Hunger Games series – a character who must fight for her life for the elite’s entertainment, and Mother in Darren Aronofsky’s mother! – perhaps her most testing role to date.
While filming the latter, she often found herself turning to reality television to separate her mind from the violence and chaos of her role. Talking to Jimmy Fallon, she claimed, “I’ve said it before, but I got to such a low point in this film, and going into such a dark place that I eventually had to bring the Kardashians in.” However, alongside her love of Keeping Up With the Kardashians, Lawrence has also claimed to love a range of other ‘trashy’ shows.
Talking to the Hollywood Reporter, she revealed, “I love my reality TV. Love Island,” before continuing, “I just finished all the Below Decks. I had COVID, so I’m caught up.” She then explained that Woody Harrelson, with whom she appeared in The Hunger Games series, once criticised her love of watching reality shows.
“May I try to defend myself? I had to defend myself to Woody Harrelson” she continued. “He came into my trailer and was like, ‘Are you really going to watch this garbage?’ And here’s what I have to say about the garbage: You’re watching interpersonal relationships that are real. As far as I can see, they’re real. I’ve never made a reality TV show, so it’s real, it’s real, it’s real.”
The allure of reality television has captured the attention of many people across the world, not just Lawrence. Watching the lives of other people, often those who aren’t afraid to stir up some controversy or act in strange and terrible ways can provide a welcome relief when we’ve had a long day and just want to be easily entertained. Sometimes, we just aren’t in the mood to watch an hour-long drama with complicated plotlines. We just want to watch real people arguing, getting themselves into awkward situations, or finding genuine connections.
For Lawrence, she loves the psychological side of watching real people. “I’m watching this fascinating dynamic. There’s the narcissist that clearly has borderline [personality disorder]. I love diagnosing people with borderline on reality TV. So anyway, I’m studying, and I’m a hero. That’s all I have to say about it.”
She also revealed another one of her favourite shows: Don’t Tell The Bride, calling it “the best reality show ever.” Lawrence concluded, “The groom plans the entire wedding, and the bride can’t know about it. And sometimes it’s great and romantic and like, ‘Oh, these colours are horrible, but thank you, honey.’ And then, sometimes, they break up over it. One woman was like, ‘Not Vegas. Not Vegas. Not Vegas.’ Guess what? It was Vegas. And he didn’t invite her sister. Borderline!”
