Jennifer Lawrence on why her parents were 'upset' about her decision to speak out on gender pay gap

'They do not like me speaking out about anything political because it's hard to see your kid take criticism,' says Lawrence

The 25-year-old American actress says they do not like to see her being politically outspoken because it means she is subject to criticism (Getty Images)

Jennifer Lawrence has revealed that her Lenny Letter about equal pay in Hollywood distressed her parents.

The 25-year-old American actress said her parents do not like to see her being politically outspoken because of the criticism she is subsequently subjected to.

In the impassioned and much-publicized letter, the Oscar-award winning actress addresses the Sony hack which revealed she was paid substantially less than her male co-stars in American Hustle. In doing so, Lawrence explains that she was angry with herself for not negotiating more money due to the desire to be liked.

Reflecting on the newsletter, the Hunger Games actress recalled the impact it had on her family.

“My parents get really upset. They do not like me speaking out about anything political because it's hard to see your kid take criticism,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.

“But, really, people who criticized it are people who think women should not be paid the same as men. So I don't really care what those people think,“ the Kentucky-born actress adds.

“I had no idea it was going to blow up like that. And I obviously only absorbed the negative. I didn't pay any attention to the positive feedback”.

Forbes ranked Lawrence as the highest-paid female actor of 2015.

In the aftermath of the Sony leak, Lawrence has made headlines for negotiating a higher salary than her co-star, Chris Pratt, in the forthcoming film Passengers. While Pratt is reported to earn $12m for the film, Lawrence is reported to net $20m upfront or 30 per cent of the film’s profits.