We've all dreamt about what it'd be like to be Jennifer Lawrence's best friend. You've probably envisioned yourself sitting around with the star munching on assorted cheeses, shooting the sh*t about Bradley Cooper, and obviously attending a swanky red carpet event that somehow ends at Taco Bell. Because, yeah, J. Law definitely has to be that cool. Dascha Polanco, who plays Jackie in Lawrence's upcoming movie Joy, knows a thing or two about her famous co-star, and as it turns out, Lawrence really is that cool. Thank you, universe.
"She's fun, she's funny, she works hard. When it comes to her role, she's focused," Polanco says of Lawrence. In the upcoming film, the queen of Hollywood is taking on the role of queen of infomercials. Lawrence's role in Joy is inspired by Joy Mangano, inventor of the Miracle Mop, single mom, and entrepreneur. Though the film is not an official biopic, Joy loosely tells the turbulent story of Mangano's success. Lawrence stars alongside Bradley Cooper, who plays an HSN executive, and Robert De Niro, who plays her father. Polanco, who burst onto the Hollywood scene as Dayanara Diaz in Orange Is The New Black, plays Joy's best friend, Jackie, in the David O. Russell film. And it seems perfectly fitting that the two are besties. "She's f*cking hilarious. Yeah, we have potty mouths," Polanco says, proving her point.
The upcoming film is just one highlight of Jennifer Lawrence's incredible 2015. This year, Hollywood's favorite actress has spoken up loudly for women, equal pay, and gender equality in Hollywood. Lawrence is using her fame to make waves, and to provide a platform for underrepresented and underpaid female voices. For Polanco, who is also a 2015 NFL Women's Apparel ambassador, working alongside the star has given her the opportunity to better represent women. "Working along with her, working with David O. Russell, has allowed me to represent not only Latinas, but to resemble them in a way that's not stereotypical," she says. She also says that J. Law's work for women this year has been "admirable".
Another huge win for equality is when women help other women. So I asked Polanco if her characters from Joy and Orange Is The New Black would have any solid pieces of advice for each other. "Daya would probably tell her that Jackie needs to come up with her own adventures," Polanco says of her pregnant OITNB character. On the other hand, Jackie would politely, but sternly tell Daya, "You need to keep a condom, honey." Now if only the two could talk to each other IRL, because this is some sage advice.
Though 2015 has definitively been Jennifer Lawrence's year, Dascha Polanco is the woman to watch in 2016. "I'm ready to break down barriers, no matter how much they try to knock me down. I'm still rising because I'm a warrior."
Image: 20th Century Fox Films
