Jennifer Lawrence says speaking out against politicians "doesn’t make a difference anymore."
The American actress, 35, made the admission in a new interview with The New York Times—taking a step back from her outspoken stance during Donald Trump’s first presidential term in 2016, when she published an open letter voicing concern for women and marginalised groups.
“I don’t really know if I should,” Lawrence said. “The first Trump administration was so wild and just, how can we let this stand? I felt like I was running around like a chicken with my head cut off. But as we’ve learned, election after election, celebrities do not make a difference whatsoever on who people vote for.”
The Hunger Games star added, “So then what am I doing? I’m just sharing my opinion on something that’s going to add fuel to a fire that’s ripping the country apart. We are so divided.”
Back in 2016, Lawrence had urged Americans not to lose hope, writing on VICE’s feminist channel Broadly that despite unfair systems, people should “keep educating ourselves and working twice as hard” to bring change.
“We’re all allowed to be sad that the present isn’t what we thought it was,” she wrote at the time. “But we mustn’t be defeated… If you are an immigrant, if you are a person of color, if you are LGBTQ+, if you are a woman, don’t be afraid, be loud.”