Jennifer Lawrence Calls Stolen Nudes A 'Sex Crime' Not A 'Scandal'

Jennifer Lawrence is speaking out for the first time about those hacked nudes that were leaked on the web in August.Until now, Lawrence has only commented on the photos through a representative, threatening to prosecute anyone who posted the stolen intimate photos. But she spoke candidly about the leak to Vanity Fair for the November issue. She explained her initial reaction: "I started to write an apology, but I don't have anything to say I'm sorry for. I was in a loving, healthy, great relationship for four years. It was long distance, and either your boyfriend is going to look at porn or he's going to look at you."

Lawrence has often wondered aloud whether the so-called price of fame—getting followed by paparazzi and being pressured to diet—is worth it. Having to call up her dad to explain that nude photos had been leaked was another one of those moments that she says isn't worth it: "I don't care how much money I get for 'The Hunger Games.' I promise you, anybody given the choice of that kind of money or having to make a phone call to tell your dad that something like that has happened, it's not worth it."

She says that just because she's famous doesn't give everyone the right to look at her naked body against her will: "Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this. It does not mean that it comes with the territory. It’s my body, and it should be my choice, and the fact that it is not my choice is absolutely disgusting."

Lawrence calls the hacking a "sex crime" and a "sexual violation," "not a scandal." She encourages lawmakers to take it seriously: "The law needs to be changed, and we need to change. That's why these Web sites are responsible. Just the fact that somebody can be sexually exploited and violated, and the first thought that crosses somebody's mind is to make a profit from it. It's so beyond me."

She doesn't let people who searched for and gawked at the photos off the hook either: "Anybody who looked at those pictures, you're perpetuating a sexual offense. You should cower with shame. Even people who I know and love say, 'Oh, yeah, I looked at the pictures.' I don't want to get mad, but at the same time I'm thinking, I didn't tell you that you could look at my naked body."