Jennifer Lawrence Says Katniss Everdeen Inspired Her Wage Gap Essay

Jennifer Lawrence stood up against the gender wage gap in Hollywood in an October essay for the Lenny Letter, and now she's revealing the surprising inspiration behind her powerful words. While attending a recent press conference for her film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2, the actress was asked whether playing Katniss had motivated her to tackle the issue. "I don't see how I couldn't be inspired by this character," she said. "I mean I was so inspired by her when I read the books, it's the reason I wanted to play her . . . so I think it would be impossible to go four years with this character and not be inspired by her."

In her essay, Jennifer admitted that she didn't speak up for a long time because she didn't want to seem "difficult" or "spoiled," adding, "When I found out how much less I was being paid than the lucky people with d*cks, I didn't get mad at Sony. I got mad at myself. I failed as a negotiator because I gave up early." Soon after the Lenny Letter essay came out, stars rallied around Jennifer in support. Her frequent costar Bradley Cooper called it "a great thing." Emma Watson also took to Twitter to share her approval.

To honor Katniss's powerful attitude even more, check out the final Hunger Games trailer.