Jennifer Lawrence Could Not Maintain The Prima Ballerina Diet And Training For Red Sparrow

Update 31 August: If you give a slice of pizza to Jennifer Lawrence, chances are she's going to eat, guilt-free.

In a new feature with Vogue, the Oscar-winner opened up about how she maintains her svelte physique and eats whatever she wants. And yes, the key is moderation - shock horror!

'I don't like when people say, "I only do this or eat this", she told the publication.

'Because I eat. I'm not very strict with my diet: If I want a piece of pizza, I eat a piece of pizza.

'But I do work out more than normal because I have a certain way that I want to look, and a way that I want to fit into my clothes," she continues. "I get photographed when I'm not asking for it, so there's added pressure to look and feel your best.'

She added: 'For me, it's easier to put that extra effort into the gym instead of putting the extra effort into: 'Oh no, I can't eat that.'

Jennifer Lawrence has revealed that the strict ballerina diet and life is not for her in any way.

While on her press tour for Red Sparrow (ofwhich you can check out an exclusive clip here) the Kentucky native explained the amount of training that was needed to appear as a realistic Russian ballerina.

To perfect her dancing, she was required to practice ballet for three months, for three hours a day (with the same coach who worked with both Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in Black Swan).

When speaking to E! at the Red Sparrow premiere in NYC, the 27-year-old told them she has refrained from continuing her dance practice, 'Oh absolutely not. No, I don't keep up with ballet.'

'It was really brutal. I have so much respect for those athletes slash artists. It's amazing what they do, but as soon as I wrapped the ballet scene, I threw my shoes in the trash. Done.'

The six-minute opening scene sees Lawrence transformed into a very convincing ballet dancer, so the work obviously paid off.

Another element needed to ensure verisimilitude was Lawrence's weight. Obviously due to a number of factors, professional ballerinas are quite petite, so Lawrence (although, already slim) needed to maintain a small frame for the duration of filming.

Speaking to Vanity Fair, the Academy Award winner discussed how losing weight was not natural to her, and not something she enjoyed doing, 'I've always wondered what it would take to get me to really diet, to really be hungry, because I've never done it for a movie. For Hunger Games, they told me to lose weight, and then I discovered Jack in the Box. Red Sparrow was the first time that I was really hungry, and disciplined. I can't be in character as an ex-ballerina and not feel like an ex-ballerina.'

However, despite her understanding of the role, and the exercise she undertook, she couldn't quite stick to that Prima ballerina diet, particularly whilst she was working, 'I can't work on a diet. I'm hungry. I'm standing on my feet. I need more energy. I remember having a meltdown, freaking out that I had eaten five banana chips'

There was also the irresistible Eastern-European street food, 'I discovered this Viennese kielbasa sausage in an uncircumcised French-bread roll, with pickle relish...I had that almost every day in Budapest—which you can see, because I continue to grow in the movie...Dieting is just not in the cards for me.'

Classic Jen.

Daisy Murray

Digital Fashion Editor

Daisy Murray is the Digital Fashion Editor at ELLE UK, spotlighting emerging designers, sustainable shopping, and celebrity style. Since joining in 2016 as an editorial intern, Daisy has run the gamut of fashion journalism - interviewing Molly Goddard backstage at London Fashion Week, investigating the power of androgynous dressing and celebrating the joys of vintage shopping.

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