Jennifer Lawrence Reveals the Christian Bale Lesson That Transformed Her Acting

Jennifer Lawrence is not shy about saying when someone changed her game. In a new chat, she credits Christian Bale with basically rewiring how she thinks about acting — shifting her from hiding until the director yelled action to actually prepping and being present before the camera rolls.

Watching Bale changed everything

Back when she shot 'American Hustle' with Bale, Lawrence says she was 23 and pretty convinced acting was embarrassing. She would deliberately do nothing until the slate clapped and the director called action. Then she watched how Bale eased into it as the crew and lights got set, and it flipped a switch for her.

"I was 23 and very sensitive about getting embarrassed in front of the crew. I thought acting was embarrassing. And so I would make a point of not acting until I absolutely had to, at 'action'... When the crew started getting ready, the lights started getting ready, and it became clear we were going to start rolling soon, he would slowly start getting ready. I was like, That seems like a good idea and I should do that when I am more mature and can handle people looking at me and being like, 'Pshh, she is acting.'"

That experience, plus seeing how much his prep informed his performance, made her rethink the whole approach: stop shrinking, start preparing, own the moment.

Getting tougher with David O. Russell

Lawrence also points to working with David O. Russell as a turning point. His on-set intensity toughened her up, and she stopped worrying about the particular way any given director operates. Translation: less head noise, more focus on the work.

Next up: Scorsese and a very J-Law prep plan

She says her next big movie is with Martin Scorsese, titled 'What Happens at Night.' As for her preparation? She jokes that it is extremely professional in the most chaotic way possible: panic, track down an acting coach, meet them once, never go back. That is her process, apparently, and honestly, the self-awareness is elite.

A DiCaprio shoutout

Lawrence also praises her 'Don’t Look Up' co-star Leonardo DiCaprio for the homework he puts in. According to her, he is the kind of actor who knows when his character was born and even what cologne they wear. Very nerdy detail, very Leo.

• Lawrence says Christian Bale taught her to prepare and be present before the camera rolls, not just at action.
• She used to be hyper self-conscious on set at 23 and thought acting was embarrassing.
• Watching Bale slowly gear up as the crew readied the shot changed her mindset.
• David O. Russell toughened her up; she stopped fretting about each director’s specific style.
• She says her next big project with Martin Scorsese is called 'What Happens at Night.'
• Her joking prep routine: panic, find an acting coach, meet once, never return.
• She admires Leonardo DiCaprio’s deep-dive character prep — down to birth dates and fragrance choices.