Long before Jennifer Lawrence became an Oscar winner, she was an aspiring actress beginning to lay the groundwork for a Hollywood career.
At one point, Lawrence went to see an acting coach who ultimately declined to take her as a student because she was already a standout. She didn’t recall who that teacher was until Deadline’s Mike Fleming Jr. told her Saturday during a panel for her Apple/A24 film Causeway at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles event.
Near the end of the panel, Fleming told Lawrence that he recently spoke with Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan about his growing universe of TV series. He also reminded Lawrence that years ago, Sheridan was a struggling actor who supplemented his income by teaching acting classes.
During their visit, Sheridan told Fleming his 1883 actress Isabel Mae reminded him of Lawrence, whom Sheridan called a once-in-a-generation talent. He knew that because at one point, before Lawrence’s breakout role in 2011’s Winter’s Bone, she signed up for his acting class.
But Sheridan ultimately returned the money because he said she was already so talented.
When Fleming finished his retelling of the story, Lawrence could only say one word.
“What?” she said.
“I remember going to see someone in New York and him telling my mom, ‘Here’s your money back. Just don’t put her in any acting lessons whatever you do,’ ” Lawrence recalled. “Was that Taylor Sheridan?”
Later, she said, “I gotta tell my Mom.”
Sheridan, who became a writer-producer, was nominated for an Oscar for writing Hell or High Water, and currently has several prequels in the works spinning off from Yellowstone, which just returned for its fifth season. The premiere simulcast on Paramount Network, CMT, Pop and TV Land averaged 15.7 million viewers, the most watched show across all of TV in 2022.
Lawrence stars and made her feature producing debut on Apple/A24’s Causeway, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and debuted on Apple TV+ on November 4.
