Director Debra Granik & Jennifer Lawrence Crack WINTER’S BONE.

Debra Granik and Jennifer Lawrence, San Francisco, CA 4/30/10

And now a timely blast from the past to re-visit an interview I did with Jennifer Lawrence on April 30.2010 about her first Oscar(tm)-nominated performance in Debra Granik’s WINTER’S BONE.  Director and c0-writer Granik joined us for the interview, which covered the authenticity required to bring the Jennifer Lawrence gives an assured and raw performance as Ree Dolly, a girl taking on her rural Ozark community in this adaptation of Daniel Woodrell’s novel of the same name. It’s an impressive follow-up to her award-winning turn in Oscar Arriaga’s BURNING PLAIN.

When I spoke with the actor and her director, it was inevitable that one of the film’s most shocking scenes, where Lawrence at Ree eviscerates a squirrel in order to feed her family, would be a topic of conversation. Granik, a vegetarian, talked about showing respect for the local culture in its depiction. Lawrence talked about being in character. Character and respect also came up in discussing how non-Ozark natives got the accent right, and in finding the key to a girl who can be so young and yet so driven.

It’s easy to see from this performance the roots of Lawrence’s role as Katniss Everdeen in THE HUNGER GAMES, including the squirrel-skinning she also did there. 

Click here to listen to the interview (11:40) WINTER’S BONE – Director Debra Granik and star Jennifer Lawrence interview.

Click here to read my review of THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE.