It Turns Out Jennifer Lawrence Dropped Out Of Middle School

Jennifer Lawrence in Red Sparrow

It's safe to say that Jennifer Lawrence is doing pretty well for herself these days. At 27, the Academy Award-winning actress is one of the most well-known people on the planet, and she only continues to grow her profile. But Jennifer Lawrence didn't make her name through her education. As the Red Sparrow star discussed in a recent interview, she dropped out of school at a fairly early age, believing that she was better off teaching herself.

I dropped out of middle school. I don't technically have a GED or a diploma. I am self-educated.

The topic came up during Jennifer Lawrence's recent sit-down interview with 60 Minutes to promote her newest (and fairly polarizing) film. She admits that she struggled through school throughout her young life, and she claims that she "never felt very smart." She later confessed that the decision didn't come easily for the 14-year-old Jennifer Lawrence. But Lawrence felt it was what she needed to do, because being an actor was what felt right. Sure enough, that's exactly what she did. Lawrence later admitted that she doesn't hold any regrets about this lofty decision she made early in her life.

No. I really don't. I wanted to forge my own path. I found what I wanted to do and I didn't want anything getting in the way of it. Even friends, for many years, were not as important to me as my career.

Of course, we cannot condone that anyone considers dropping out of school to get into acting (particularly anyone in grade school reading this article -- because we don't want to get into any trouble here). After all, we're afraid not everyone can be as famous and lucky as Jennifer Lawrence. But it's safe to say that this decision ultimately paid off handsomely for Lawerence, particularly in the long run. The young, continuously rising Hunger Games actress is easily among the most acclaimed and well-known celebrities of our time, and she isn't using that acclaim and recognition lightly.

Jennifer Lawrence will next be seen in the aforementioned Red Sparrow, which comes out next weekend. She'll also be seen in X-Men: Dark Phoenix, which is scheduled to come out on November 2nd. But after that, she'll get into some political activism. Lawrence announced last week that she'll take a break from acting, at least for a year. Instead, she'll focus on working with the organization Represent.Us, which dedicates its time to try to get young people engaged politically, in a continuous effort to "fix our democracy." After all, Lawrence is never someone who is afraid to speak her mind, particularly this week when people needlessly attacked her fashion choices during a London premiere event for Red Sparrow.

Even though she doesn't have the strongest education, Jennifer Lawrence is living large and in charge. Sometimes, school just isn't for everyone. But don't tell anyone that we said that... Remember, we're not trying to get in trouble here. Don't come to us saying you dropped out because Jennifer Lawrence did it. The last thing we need right now is a bunch of angry letter from irate parents. Remember, stay in school. Unless you're the next JLaw.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.