Fortunes and Blunders: Jennifer Lawrence
In the shimmering world of the rich and famous no other aspect of society is more glamorous than the lives of the movie stars of Hollywood. Fame and fortune often make us think of the usual celebrity lifestyle that goes hand in hand with any big name in Hollywood: An endless flow of cash, million-dollar bank accounts, extravagance, excess, prime real estate and luxury cars. Drugs and plenty of affairs often feature as well.
Controversy seems to follow Hollywood stars wherever they go. Take, for example, Tom Cruise, multi-million-pound actor, creative talent and judging from the chat shows and comments of others, thoroughly great guy. But mention his name, and the first thought that comes to most people’s mind is his relationship with Scientology, a misunderstood belief system if ever there was one. Or the ongoing and, let’s be honest, somewhat boring Brangelina debacle.
It has always been so. Hollywood greats from yesteryear, such as Marilyn Monroe, were the subject of gossip and scandal – even when these were based on nothing more than hearsay. One would imagine the lives of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton was a catalog of marriages and divorces. They wed each other just twice.
Even so, when it comes to making, and more importantly keeping, their wealth the stars of Hollywood have much from which we can learn.
Jennifer Lawrence – The Upstanding Kentucky Girl
“Even as far back as when I started acting at 14, I know I’ve never considered failure.”— Jennifer Lawrence
Of course, not every star and starlet out there lives up (or down, however you look at it) to this stereotype. In fact, many well-known A-listers are actually some of the most financially astute people — maybe even more so than non-celebrities.
One star who is continually pointed to as a perfect example of a financially responsible person is Jennifer Lawrence. It’s hard to open a newspaper or click on a news site without seeing her name. This isn’t all that surprising considering that she, an Oscar-winner, has recently been named as the highest-earning actress in the world for the second year running.
According to sources, her net worth was estimated to be $130 million in 2017. That’s not bad for a lady from Kentucky who constantly has to deal with the limelight that comes from being a star of Hollywood and who, despite this, manages to stay out of private and financial trouble.
Lawrence’ Upbringing and Career
Jennifer Shrader Lawrence was born in 1990 in Louisville, Kentucky in a comfortable, though humble, middle-class family. She lived with her parents and two older brothers on a farm on the outskirts of the town. They were raised in an extremely stable background and were taught the importance of traditional family values and the spirit of community, Karen and Gary Lawrence were engaging parents who also ingrained the value of making sound financial management decisions in all their children right from a young age.
Jennifer was spotted at the age of 14 by the CESD Talent Agency in Union Square. She had traveled with her family to New York for the spring vacation. This acted as a launching pad to an illustrious career as an actress in the entertainment world. But keeping their daughter’s feet on the ground was always a priority for the Lawrence parents. They had an agreement with the agency for her to complete the remaining part of her high school before they would let her focus solely on an acting career. This proved a great motivation for her as she went on to graduate from high school in a record two years before her time.
She got her major breakthrough on the entertainment scene in 2006 when she performed in the television program Company Town. This also gave her an opportunity to play various roles in several comedy shows. After performing as a 17-year-old in Winter Bone, Jennifer went on to be nominated for an Academy Award Oscar for the Best Actress role. Even though she did not win that award, she earned enormous acclaim for her nomination – it was the year 2011 and Jennifer was just 20 years of age; making her one of the youngest nominees in the history of the Oscars.
Her performance in the 2013 film Silver Linings Playbook, together with Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro, earned her both an Academy Award and a Globe Award for Best Actress. For her 2013 role in American Hustle, she went on to win a Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress and a third nomination for the Academy Awards.
With all the international praise and industry accolades, the money started rolling in early on.
The various roles she has played have not only made her earn praise but also a number of good paychecks. The Burning Plain (2009) earned her $20,000; Winter Bone (2010) earned her an average of $3,000 a week; The Beaver (2011) raked in $80,000 for her and X- Men First Class (2011) earned her $250,000. The Hunger Games (2011) saw her draw her first million-dollar fee. Her Oscar-winning performance in Silver Linings Playbook (2012), earned her $400,000 (it was much smaller budget film than The Hunger Games) and Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) saw her move into the serious big time with a whopping $15,000,000 fee.
In 2016, she is reported to have earned about $46 million, which included her salary from Passenger ($20 million). In 2017, she earned $24 million and 2018 (the time of writing) she has earned $15 million so far for her role as Dominika Egorova in The Red Sparrow.
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