Jennifer Lawrence’s best moments: From THAT Oscars fall to her passionate pay gap essay

There’s no one in Hollywood quite like Jennifer Lawrence.

From her no-holds-barred approach to red carpet interviews to her unrivalled ability to prompt hilarious memes at almost every move, the star has managed to carve herself a niche as the film industry’s most relatable star.

Oscar slip-ups aside, though, Lawrence’s acting talent speaks for itself – she has already notched up four Oscar nominations and one win – and she has also channelled her outspoken public persona to advocate for important issues in the industry, from the gender pay gap row to the more recent #MeToo campaigns. 

As the actress turns 29, look back at some of her most memorable moments below.

​When she styled out that ​Oscar fall

A Dior-clad Lawrence became a meme sensation when she tripped up while making her way onto the stage of the Dolby Theatre before accepting her Best Actress Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook.

With her trademark quick wit, she took things in her stride, telling the audience: “You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell. That’s really embarrassing.”

She later explained that she took a tumble because she was thinking about – wait for it – cake while making her way up the stairs.

“I was at the Oscars, waiting to hear if my name was called, and I kept thinking, ‘Cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk,’” she told W magazine.

“And then, as I started to walk up the stairs and the fabric from my dress tucked under my feet, I realised my stylist had told me, ‘Kick, walk, kick, walk, kick, walk.’ You are supposed to kick the dress out while you walk, and I totally forgot because I was thinking about cake!”

When she photobombed Taylor Swift

Acting skills aside, Lawrence can boast an enviable talent: she is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s top photobombers.

For a case in point, simply refer to the infamous moment at the 2014 Golden Globes which saw her sneak up the steps to E!’s interview platform while host Ryan Seacrest was chatting with Taylor Swift. Her hilarious grimace was captured on camera as she appeared ready to pounce on the singer.

“I was going to come in and push you down the stairs,” she joked to a bemused Swift. “I was like, she’ll crack up. She would really love that.” Luckily, Swift didn’t seem too shocked by Lawrence’s antics, as the pair are firm friends.

When she hit the town with Adele

Lawrence and Adele have been close friends after meeting at the Oscars in 2013,  but it’s a rare occurrence to spot them out and about in public. You can only imagine, then, how shocked partygoers at Pieces in New York would have been when they spotted the pair of Oscar-winners enjoying a Saturday night out at the Greenwich village gay bar.

Videos captured on the evening show Adele jokingly referring to herself as a “stay at home mum” when she and Lawrence were pulled onto the stage during a drag performance.

Their friendship isn’t just about partying, though. Lawrence paid touching tribute to the singer in an essay for TIME’s 100 issue in 2016 and the pair also attended the Women’s March in Los Angeles in 2018, where they protested alongside Cameron Diaz.

When she got real about awards shows

Lawrence is known for her no-holds-barred honesty in interviews and she didn’t disappoint at the 2013 Oscars, when she was crowned the most relatable nominee after admitting that she was “starving” and craving McDonald’s.

“I’m freaking starving,” she told the Hollywood Reporter. “I forgot to eat because it was so stressful at my house and I didn’t have time. I was in the car, and I was like, ‘I’m starving and the show’s four hours long. I’m looking at the golden arches for McDonald’s here.”

Her prayers were answered the following year when host Ellen DeGeneres presented Academy Awards attendees with boxes of pizza to eat throughout the show, with cutaway shots of Lawrence enthusiastically tucking in proving a highlight for viewers.

​When she couldn’t be separated from her wine at the Oscars

If you’ve managed to cram four Oscar nominations into less than three decades, it’s fair to say you have licence to treat the Academy Awards as the rest of us mortals would treat a house party.

The star lived up to her party-loving ways at the 90th Academy Awards ceremony, leaping over rows of seats while precariously clutching a glass of white wine. Impressively, she managed not to spill a drop as she made her way to mingle with the likes of Meryl Streep and Hunger Games co-star Woody Harrelson.

​When she called out Hollywood’s gender pay gap in Lena Dunham’s Lenny Letter

After the Sony email hack revealed that she was paid less than her male American Hustle co-stars, Lawrence addressed Hollywood’s gender pay gap issue in an impassioned essay for Lenny Letter, Lena Dunham and Jenni Konner’s now-defunct newsletter.

The actress said that a fear of not seeming “likable” had influenced her decision not to fight for equal pay, writing: “I didn’t want to seem ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’ At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realised that every man I was working with definitely didn’t worry about being ‘difficult’ or ‘spoiled.’”

In her furious sign-off, she concluded that she was “over trying to find the ‘adorable’ way to state my opinion and still be likeable.”