Before she became one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars, Jennifer Lawrence faced one audition loss that nearly broke her heart.
Appearing on The Howard Stern Show in 2018, Lawrence opened up about the role she was desperate to land — Alice in Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton. Despite giving it her all, she didn’t make the cut.
“That really killed me,” Lawrence admitted. “It’s the only time I’ve ever been truly devastated by losing an audition. Most of the time, you tell yourself it wasn’t meant to be and move on. But this one really hurt.”
In the end, Mia Wasikowska was cast as Alice, and the film went on to gross over $1 billion worldwide after its release in March 2010. Lawrence graciously acknowledged that Wasikowska “was perfect and amazing” for the role and even admitted she couldn’t have matched the polished British accent required for the character.
Turning Rejection Into Stardom
As fate would have it, missing out on Alice in Wonderland may have set Lawrence on an even bigger path. Just three months after Burton’s film hit theaters, Lawrence starred in Winter’s Bone, earning rave reviews and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress.
From there, her career skyrocketed — landing iconic roles as Mystique in the X-Men franchise and as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games saga.
An Oscar Winner and Multi-Millionaire
Lawrence eventually took home the Oscar for Best Actress in 2013 for her performance in Silver Linings Playbook and has since added more nominations for American Hustle (2014) and Joy (2016).
Named Hollywood’s highest-paid actress in both 2015 and 2016 by Forbes, Lawrence has built a reported fortune of $160 million — and starred in nearly 30 films to date.
And today, as Jennifer Lawrence celebrates her 33rd birthday on August 15, it’s clear that sometimes the biggest disappointments pave the way for the greatest successes.
