Jennifer Lawrence got held in a ‘tiny jail’ for lying about her visa

A cautionary tale, people

You know the feeling when you’re at the airport, waiting to go through customs and although your visa documentation is complete, and you’ve done nothing wrong, you still get that uneasy sense of foreboding that you have somehow, inexplicably, done something wrong? Well, just be thankful that, for once, you’re not Jennifer Lawrence.

The Oscar-winning actress explained how she was detained ‘in a tiny jail’ for five (!) hours at a London airport, after lying to customs officials about her visa.

Appearing on The Graham Norton Show, Jennifer Lawrence explained how she realised her passport would expire in six months after landing in London to audition for the first X-Men film, in which she plays Mystique (the blue shape-shifting one).

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Obviously, customs stopped Jennifer on her way through. She called her director Matthew Vaughn and producers – who she was auditioning for – for help and they gave her arguably the worst advice we have ever heard… lie.

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‘They were like, “Whatever you do, don't tell them that you're here for work, because they'll ask for a work visa; say you're here for pleasure.” And I'm like, “Oh, my. Good God - I have to lie to a customs officer.”’

‘I get there and he's like, “Business or pleasure?” “Pleasure.” “What are you doing for pleasure?” “My brother's getting married.'” “Where's your brother getting married?” “Wimbledon.” “Is he American?” “Yes,” “Do you have an invitation?” “No.” “Are you telling the truth?”’

NO. Jennifer Lawrence, Academy Award winner, was not. And she duly cracked.

“’I'm here for work and I don't have a work visa and my passport expires and I'm not even supposed to be here!”

Jennifer then explained how she ‘had to sit in a tiny little jail for like five hours’ while they contacted her employer. ‘I felt tiny’, she told Graham, which is exactly how we would feel if we lied to customs and ended up in a holding ‘jail’ for five hours.

Oh, Jennifer. An entertaining, yet cautionary tale if we ever did hear one.