It was perhaps the most unpredictable moment of the Oscars Sunday night when Jennifer Lawrence made her way to the stage to accept her Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.
But Lawrence was unfazed: “Thank you!” she began as she stood at the podium clutching her Oscar. “You guys are just standing up ‘cause you feel bad that I fell and that’s really embarrassing, but thank you.”
She continued: “This is nuts! Thank you to the Academy and thank you to the women this year, you were so magnificent. You were so inspiring and not just those of you in my category; and it’s been so amazing getting to know you and you’ve been so nice and you’ve made this experience unforgettable.”
While thanking her team, family and fellow cast members, Lawrence even managed to sneak in a birthday shoutout to French actress (and fellow Best Actress nominee) Emmanuelle Riva who turned 86 on Sunday.
But after the awards show had ended, Lawrence remained in good spirits about her slip when she was asked about it backstage. “The fall on the way up to the stage, was that on purpose?” Her reply? “Absolutely.”
And to another reporter: “What do you mean what happened? Look at my dress. I tried to walk up stairs in this dress. … I think I just stepped on the fabric and they waxed the stairs.”
