23 Times Jennifer Lawrence Was Awesome Before She Was Super Famous

1 She Avoided That Awkward Yearbook Photo

Sure, the haircut and earrings are outdated, but Jennifer's eighth grade portrait from Kammerer Middle School in Louisville, KY, isn't the type of picture you'd be embarrassed to see on your parents' mantel.

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2 She Wasn't Afraid to Take a Tumble

Image Source: MTV

Jennifer made her first TV appearance in a commercial for MTV's My Super Sweet 16, playing a spoiled birthday princess who is carried around her party and falls. She never forgot the experience. “I want to thank MTV,” she said during her SAG acceptance speech in 2013. “I earned my SAG card when I was 14 . . . I remember getting it in the mail and it being the best day in my entire life because it officially made me a professional actor, which put me in a category with all of you.”

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3 She Got Goofy

Image Source: USA Network

The road to an Oscar can be paved with terrible roles, like her performance as a mascot in a 2006 episode of Monk.

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4 She Got in the Leading Man's Face

Image Source: USA Network

Do you think Tony Shalhoub knew she was destined for greatness?

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5 She Didn't Hide Beneath Her Costume

Image Source: USA Network

Yes, she took that headpiece off with pride.

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6 She Was a Trickster

Image Source: TBS

Jennifer played the girl next door on The Bill Engvall Show from 2007 to 2009. Before she volunteered as tribute in The Hunger Games, Jen surprised her TV parents with a fake belly ring.

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7 She Hung Out With Chloë Grace Moretz

Image Source: Getty / Barry King

Yes, that cute little girl is Chloë! The two were costars in 2008's The Poker House.

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8 She Had Some Serious Red Carpet Moves

Image Source: Getty / Mirek Towski

Just look at Jen strike a pose at the Movieguide Faith and Values Awards in 2007.

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9 The Spotlight Called Her Name

Image Source: Getty / Amy Graves

She really couldn't help but upstage Selma Blair, the leading lady in The Poker House, at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2008.

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10 She Faced Stiff Red Carpet Competition

Image Source: Getty / Venturelli

Jennifer was a couple years away from the A-list when she walked the red carpet with Charlize Theron, with whom she costarred in 2008's The Burning Plain.

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11 But She Held Her Own

Image Source: Getty / Lester Cohen

Jen dazzled next to the bombshell at their movie's premiere.

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12 She Went to Sweet 16 Birthday Parties . . .

Image Source: Getty / Noel Vasquez

Here's Jen hanging out at actor Tyler Neitzel's bash. She was just 17!

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13 . . . in a Hoodie, Jean Skirt, and Boots.

Image Source: Getty / Noel Vasquez

Just like you did in 2007, right?

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14 She Foreshadowed Several Epic Faces

Image Source: Getty / Jason LaVeris

In 2009, Jennifer gave us a taste of what was meant to be.

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15 She Was a Disaster in Heels

Image Source: Getty / Dan Kitwood

Jennifer has a long history of losing her balance at events. In 2008, over five years before her last Oscars fall, she nearly lost it at the Venice Film Festival.

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