Jennifer Lawrence Reveals the One Actor She’s “Obsessed” With

Since her breakout role in Winter’s Bone (2010), Jennifer Lawrence has risen from indie darling to one of Hollywood’s most bankable stars. With four Oscar nominations and a win for Silver Linings Playbook (2013), the Kentucky-born actress has worked with some of cinema’s most celebrated directors, including David O. Russell, Darren Aronofsky, and Adam McKay. But even for a performer at the top of her game, there are still figures in Hollywood who inspire awe — and, in Lawrence’s case, one legendary actor she admits she has long been “obsessed” with: Meryl Streep.

Starstruck by Streep

In an interview with Vanity Fair, Lawrence opened up about her difficulty handling encounters with icons she admires. “Once I’m obsessed with somebody, I’m terrified of them instantly,” she explained. “I’m not scared of them — I’m scared of me and how I will react.”

She recalled one particularly memorable moment at a party where she was being introduced to comedian Bill Maher — only to spot Streep entering the room. “I literally put my hand right in Bill Maher’s face and said, ‘Not now, Bill!’ and I just stared at Meryl Streep,” Lawrence admitted with a laugh. “I didn’t even meet her. I just creepily stared at her.”

From Fan to Co-Star

Lawrence’s nerves eventually gave way to opportunity when she shared the screen with Streep in Adam McKay’s 2021 satire Don’t Look Up. The Netflix ensemble comedy, which skewered political and cultural apathy in the face of climate disaster, featured an all-star lineup including Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett, Timothée Chalamet, Jonah Hill, Ariana Grande, and Mark Rylance.

For Lawrence, however, the most surreal part was finally working alongside her idol. Streep played the self-absorbed U.S. President Orlean, while Lawrence starred as astronomer Kate Dibiasky, one of the first to spot the comet threatening Earth.

Though the film divided critics — some praised its ambition while others dismissed it as blunt and overstuffed — it earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. For Lawrence, it represented not only another high-profile project but also the fulfillment of a personal dream: to collaborate with the actor she had once been too intimidated to approach.

A Career Still Rising

While The Hunger Games franchise cemented her as a global superstar, Lawrence has continued to seek out diverse roles, from Aronofsky’s psychological thriller Mother! to the intimate drama Causeway. Her collaboration with Streep, though, stands out as a career milestone that blurred the line between professional achievement and personal fandom.

Jennifer Lawrence may be one of Hollywood’s brightest stars, but her wide-eyed admiration for Meryl Streep is a reminder that even Oscar winners can still get starstruck.

Would you like me to expand this into a cultural piece about how even A-list actors idolize their peers (e.g., Timothée Chalamet with DiCaprio, Florence Pugh with Cate Blanchett), or keep it tightly focused on Lawrence and Streep?