Attention tabloids, gossip blogs and peddlers of "controversy": Jennifer Lawrence was not taking a shot at Meryl Streep when she accepted her Golden Globe on Sunday.
The 22-year-old actress sauntered on stage and called out "I beat Meryl!" when she was presented with her Golden Globe for best actress in a motion picture comedy or musical, which she won for her role in Silver Linings Playbook. While many with an itchy blogger finger and a shallow knowledge of movie history took that as a shot at Streep, who was also nominated in the category, Lawrence explained Tuesday that she was simply quoting an old film.
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"It was a quote from First Wives' Club," the actress told David Letterman. "Bette Midler was talking about a globe, I can't believe nobody's ever done it before. She said, 'Look what it says: I Beat Meryl.' It was so perfect, and I said it, and I had no idea Lindsay Lohan was going to take it to take it to the Twitterverse -- is that what it's called? I'm not on Twitter. But Twitter is very upset."
Exasperated, and reliving the film with Letterman (while choking back the remnants of a cold), Lawrence continued her protestations.
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"Is that what that's turned into, I don't like Meryl Streep? As if I've had my eyes on getting that girl forever, and I was like, 'Finally! I knew it would happen one day!'" she continued. "I wanted to make a public statement, like, Hey idiots, it's a quote from a movie, and it's Meryl Streep."
Lawrence isn't just making excuses or covering up a silly mistake, either. In this month's Vanity Fair, she professed her fawning admiration -- obsession, even -- with the Oscar-winning actress.
"One time someone was introducing me to Bill Maher, and I saw Meryl Streep walk into the room, and I literally put my hand right in Bill Maher’s face and said, ‘Not now, Bill!,’ and I just stared at Meryl Streep," she told the magazine. Note: she did not meet her, just stared creepily.
