‘Degrading and Humiliating.’ Jennifer Lawrence Says She Was Forced to Do a ‘Nude Line-Up’ Early in Her Career

Jennifer Lawrence on Monday opened up about a “degrading and humiliating” experience from the early days of her career. The Mother! star said that producers asked her to lose weight quickly and also made her do a nude line-up during one of her first movies.

“When I was much younger and starting out, I was told by producers of a film to lose 15 pounds in two weeks,” Lawrence said Elle‘s Women in Hollywood event, adding that an actor had already been fired for not losing weight fast enough/

“During this time a female producer had me do a nude line-up with about five women who were much, much thinner than me. And we all stood side by side with only paste-ons covering our privates,” Lawrence added. “After that degrading and humiliating line-up, the female producer told me I should use the photos of myself as inspiration for my diet.”

Lawrence spoke out as numerous women have come forward to accuse longtime Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual harassment, assault and even rape, in allegations that span decades and have ignited a wider debate about the treatment of women in the industry. Weinstein, who has been fired from his company, has denied “any allegations of non-consensual sex,” his spokesperson said last week. In an explosive New York Times report that opened the floodgates for more allegations, Weinstein said: “I appreciate the way I’ve behaved with colleagues in the past has caused a lot of pain, and I sincerely apologize for it.”

Lawrence said in a statement to People that she did not experience harassment by Weinstein when she worked with him five years ago.

Speaking at the event Monday, she said that seeing so many women open up about their experiences has been “oddly unifying.” But her early movie experience left her feeling “trapped.”

“I let myself be treated a certain way because I felt I had to for my career,” she said.