Will Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain reign at the Globes?

LAWRENCE. Engrossing as an emotionally unstable widow in “Silver Linings Playbook.” Photo by Ruben v. Nepales

LOS ANGELES—Will it be a night of two Js—Jennifer Lawrence and Jessica Chastain—at the Golden Globe Awards this Sunday, Jan. 13 at the Beverly Hilton?

If both Jennifer and Jessica triumph for “Silver Linings Playbook” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” respectively, it will be their first Golden Globe win.

Jennifer, previously nominated for a Golden Globe for “Winter’s Bone,” is engrossing as an emotionally unstable widow who falls for a man (Bradley Cooper) grappling with mental illness and heartbreak.

She has strong competition for the Best Actress-Comedy or Musical trophy from Maggie Smith (“Quartet”), Judi Dench (“The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”), Meryl Streep (“Hope Springs”) and Emily Blunt (“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”).

Troubled souls

Jennifer told us about her and Bradley playing wounded, troubled souls in David O. Russell’s excellent “Silver Linings”: “I thought it was a heartwarming, funny way of thinking that being crazy is OK. And being yourself is OK. Instead of trying to change the parts of yourself that you don’t like, accept and love them! I thought that was a wonderful way of sending out that message.”

“The Hunger Games” star said she isn’t much of a research fanatic in preparing for roles, including that of a young widow with a certain reputation in “Silver Linings.”

“It’s more about feelings and lines,” Jennifer explained her approach. “You read the lines, then understand how a character is feeling, and you say it in that way. I didn’t research what it’s like to have an entire neighborhood think that you’re a slut or crazy. That happens when you’re in the scene, and you allow yourself to feel a certain way. It’s hard to do that before you’re actually with the other actor. For me, at least, it’s hard to read a script, then write down how I’m going to feel in that moment. It just happens as I’m speaking on camera.”

Jessica, who has been turning in outstanding performances in recent years, finally got a well-deserved lead role in director Kathryn Bigelow’s thrilling “Zero Dark Thirty,” which fully showcases her considerable range as an actress. Jessica, playing a young CIA operative who helps find the elusive Osama bin Laden, is exceptional.

Competitive company

But, she’s in very competitive company for the Best Actress-Drama honors: Rachel Weisz (“The Deep Blue Sea”), Marion Cotillard (“Rust and Bone”), Naomi Watts (“The Impossible”) and Helen Mirren (“Hitchcock”).

In an earlier column, we wrote about how Jessica feels a bit uneasy about the hosannas being heaped on her: “I always feel a little out of my depth. Even when people are being nice, I feel a great responsibility to something that I don’t know if it’s even there. I feel like, ‘How am I going to live up to that?’ Maybe that’s because, in my head, I have self-doubt.

“I’m sometimes afraid of praise, because I don’t like disappointing anyone,” added the actress who, like Jennifer, has one previous Golden Globe nod (for “The Help”). “It’s a beautiful thing to work for a long time, and to have people tell me that they believe in me because, as an actor, I’m not 17 years old anymore—I’ve worked for a while. To be at a place where I’m having people encourage me, lift me up, and give me hugs—that’s a beautiful thing!”

We’ll see on Sunday evening if these two Js finally get their Golden Globe trophies.

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