In appreciation of Jennifer Lawrence – why we’re all still in love with Hollywood’s most relatable star

If there was one fictional character I wanted to be more than any other growing up, it was Katniss Everdeen.

From the moment I watched the first Hunger Games film, I was captivated by Jennifer Lawrence’s performance. As Katniss, she was tenacious, fought for what was right and epitomised the eldest daughter duty, cursed by her own capability and taught always to put other people first.

Katniss stayed with me after the credits rolled – like so many of J-Law’s performances. From Silver Linings Playbook (for which she won the 2013 Best Actress Oscar) to Joy, Lawrence has set out to pick – and nail – challenging parts portraying unruly, complicated women who refuse to compromise and demand to take up space, establishing herself as Hollywood’s most relatable star (on and off-screen). And, in 2026, she’s done it again.

Now streaming on MUBI, it’s Lawrence’s latest performance in psychological drama, Die My Love, that’s got the world talking (and the awards noms abounding). Perhaps her most powerful and career-defining performance yet, the film follows J-Law as Grace, a passionate woman descending into paranoia as she cares for her newborn baby and tackles an emotionally distant husband (played by none other than Robert Pattinson). 

New mum Grace finds her world unravelling when she starts to lose her sense of self after giving birth and we witness her cycle through emotions such as anger, lust, paranoia and manic happiness in a single beat as she tackles Jackson’s ‘unbothered man’ behaviour (and, yes, it’s as cathartic and relatable to watch as it sounds). 

Coupled with the purely iconic casting (Katniss Everdeen and Edward Cullen sharing the screen!) and the deliciously twisty nature of the narrative, Die My Love has been tipped as one of the most exciting films of the year.

In her portrayal of Grace, Lawrence embodies many of the things we’ve loved about her for years: an unflinching honesty and fearlessness in the way she approaches characters who buck convention. You’ll find shades of yourself in Grace and, yet again, Lawrence’s bold performance will stay with you once the film ends.

As we witness the destruction of a once-loving relationship on-screen, her execution of female rage is empowering, exhilarating and at times darkly comic (you’ll be chuckling away at how she reacts to R-Patz’s character’s checked-out behaviour). 

Because no matter how serious the subject matter, Lawrence’s performances always find a moment or two of sarcastic or self-deprecatory wit – her trademark humour – and this cuts through, offering a thread of hope and levity.

J-Law’s authenticity and watchability on and off-screen have made her Hollywood’s most relatable star. Often, it’s the glimpses of her you see on red carpets and in interviews that are the most infectious.

Who could forget the oh-so relatable moment she tripped and took a tumble at the 2013 Oscars or her iconic spot on spicy chicken wing-eating talk show Hot Ones that had us repeating, “What do you mean?” again and again in her exact tone.

And that’s not to say we can only look to Lawrence for a good-time gag. Her dedicated advocacy and activism off-screen prove her to be an inimitable role model, too.

Throughout her career, she’s vocally criticised the gender pay gap in Hollywood, while last year, alongside activist Malala Yousafzai, she produced the powerful documentary Bread & Roses, which highlights the stories and voices of Afghan women resisting the Taliban.

From Die My Love to consistently standing up for what’s right, Jennifer Lawrence has proven time and time again that authenticity is what audiences crave more than anything.

We want someone we can believe in, that we trust to deliver the kind of messy, complex female characters – like Grace – who force us to stop and take notice, and stay with us long after the credits have rolled.

More than a decade on from bursting onto our screens as a braided young girl who shot arrows and fought for democracy, it’s no wonder we’re all still in love with Hollywood’s most relatable star – and it’s safe to say that Jennifer Lawrence is still the person I want to be when I grow up. 

Die My Love is now streaming exclusively on MUBI. Stylist readers can get 30 days free streaming by following this link.