Jennifer Lawrence Says Katniss Inspired Her Gender Wage Gap Essay

Jennifer Lawrence said playing Katniss Everdeen inThe Hunger Gamesinspired her to speak out and fight against the gender wage gap.

"I don't see how I couldn't be inspired by this character, I mean I was so inspired by her when I read the books, it's the reason I wanted to play her," Lawrence said at a news conference, according to Reuters. "It would be impossible to go four years with this character and not be inspired by her."

Lawrence's Oct. essay in Lenny came a few months after the Sony hack revealed how much less the Oscar winner was being paid compared to her male co-stars. Lawrence cited the pressure for women to seem likable as a strong influencer on her decision not to fight for better pay. "I didn't want to seem 'difficult' or 'spoiled,'" Lawrence wrote. "At the time, that seemed like a fine idea, until I saw the payroll on the Internet and realized every man I was working with definitely didn't worry about being 'difficult' or 'spoiled.'"

Since Lawrence's essay came out, many celebrities have spoken out to show their support for the actress and keep the conversation going. Supporters include Hillary Clinton, Jessica Chastain, Emma Watson and Bradley Cooper, who vowed to team up with female co-stars in future salary negotiations.