Jennifer Lawrence feared losing her career after private photos leaked

In 2014, Jennifer Lawrence was at the height of her career. She had just won her first Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook and starred in the hugely successful Hunger Games franchise. But that same year, her private iCloud photos were hacked and leaked online in what Lawrence described as a “S*X crime.”

How Did Jennifer Lawrence Break the News to Her Dad?

Jennifer Lawrence in Red Sparrow

In a Vanity Fair interview shortly after the photo leak, Jennifer Lawrence revealed she was terrified of losing her career.

“I can’t not act. It’s what I was made to do, and I swear to God, it’s the only thing that I’m good at, but that does not mean that I deserve to live like this,” she said.

One of Lawrence’s biggest fears was having to tell her father about the hacked photos. “I don’t care how much money I get for The Hunger Games. I promise you, anybody given the choice of that kind of money or having to make a phone call to my dad and tell him what’s happened… it’s not worth it,” she said.

Lawrence was playing golf at the time, so fortunately he was in a good mood when she called. But having to tell her dad she was the victim of a S*X crime was understandably “not worth it” and made Lawrence feel extremely guilty.

Why Didn’t Jennifer Lawrence Take Legal Action?

Jennifer Lawrence via Ellen

Despite feeling violated by the photo leak, Lawrence chose not to take legal action. In a later interview, she explained that suing Apple wouldn’t delete the photos from the internet. She also blamed the websites that promoted the photos more than iCloud.

“It is not a scandal. It is a S*X crime. It is a S*Xual violation,” Lawrence said.

She felt the websites that shared her private photos were “responsible” and that the law needed to change.

Did the Scandal Ruin Jennifer Lawrence’s Career?

Jennifer Lawrence via The Tonight Show

Remarkably, the hacked photo scandal didn’t ruin Lawrence’s career at all. Just months after her photos leaked, she became the highest-paid actress in the world with a net worth of $52 million.

According to The Things, Lawrence has said she was “still actually processing” the hack several years later.

“When the hacking thing happened—it was so unbelievably violating that you can’t even put into words,” she said in 2017. But her career continued to flourish, despite feeling violated.

The scandal didn’t slow Lawrence down one bit. She went on to star in several more Hunger Games and X-Men movies, plus hits like American Hustle, Joy, and Don’t Look Up. Her net worth now sits at an impressive $160 million.

So while Lawrence feared her career ending after the photo leak, she quickly bounced back and reclaimed her position as one of Hollywood’s top actresses. She refused to let the “S*X crime” violation define her or ruin her acting dreams.

Lawrence’s ability to move past the photo scandal and continue excelling in her career is inspiring. She showed tremendous resilience and refused to let an act of violation derail her dreams. Many women in Hollywood would not have recovered so quickly from such a traumatic experience. But Lawrence proved she wouldn’t be defined by it. Her perseverance serves as an example to all.