The 27-year-old actress was honored with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment breakfast.
Jennifer Lawrence intends to use her spotlight wisely.
The 27-year-old actress was honored with the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award at The Hollywood Reporter's 2017 Women in Entertainment Power 100 breakfast in Los Angeles on Wednesday, where she gave a powerful speech about embracing strong female voices, and using her platform to create change.
"It’s not easy to speak out. It’s not easy to face criticism on a global scale. But the fact is I have been given a platform, and if I don’t use it, then I don’t deserve it," she said.
"This last year has been a trying and challenging time in our world and our industry specifically. Every day, we wake up to a myriad of headlines that deeply impact us, from around the globe," continued Lawrence, who is the youngest person ever to receive the Sherry Lansing Leadership Award. Previous winners include Barbra Streisand, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey, Jane Fonda, Helen Mirren, Halle Berry, Jodie Foster, Glenn Close, Barbara Walters and Tina Fey.
"These women have shown what’s possible when we embrace our platforms and use our voices to inspire and ignite the hearts of humanity. Their stories are powerful, pivotal and echo far beyond the retweets or headlines we wake up to," she shared. "Let's be outspoken. Let's be resilient. Let’s make sure the young women who are receiving $1 million in scholarships through the remarkable Women in Entertainment Mentorship grow in an industry where outspoken women matter, where outspoken women lead, where all of our voices, ideas and the strength of our artistic community creates change in and out of the cinema. By doing so, we give back and give forward in the ways that matter most."
Lawrence, who sported a pastel pink dress to the event on Wednesday, expressed similar sentiments during her sit down interview with Oprah Winfrey for THR. In fact, the actress said that she and other A-listers have spoken about "forming a commission" to protect those coming up in the industry.
"It's just so sad because every actor, when you're starting out, there's really not a lot of options...And then you become more powerful, and people start f**king with you less," she shared. "If every A-list actor decides to join this commission, we know everybody in the industry. I know every studio head in town."
"If I'm on this commission, and [if] I get an email about somebody being treated badly on a set, I can send an email. We have to all put our heads together and figure out how to not let this moment go, not just be like, 'Oh, well, that was crazy,'" continued Lawrence, who at another point bragged about her "amazing neighborhood tribe" of actresses like Zoe Saldana and Cameron Diaz. "Something has to really get done."
See more on Lawrence in the video below.
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