Jennifer Lawrence Falls – But Shakes It Off – and Wins Best Actress

It was perhaps the most unpredictable moment of the Oscars Sunday night when Jennifer Lawrence made her way to the stage to accept her Academy Award for Best Actress for her role in Silver Linings Playbook.

The 22-year-old actress slipped on the stairs but luckily her full skirted Dior Haute Couture gown cushioned her fall.

After she slipped, gentleman (and Oscar nominee) Hugh Jackman was spotted rushing to aid if necessary. “I had to help her, poor thing! I didn’t know if she could get up,” he told PEOPLE after the show.

But Lawrence was unfazed: “Thank you!” she began as she stood at the podium clutching her Oscar. “You guys are just standing up ’cause you feel bad that I fell and that’s really embarrassing, but thank you.”

She continued: “This is nuts! Thank you to the Academy and thank you to the women this year, you were so magnificent. You were so inspiring and not just those of you in my category; and it’s been so amazing getting to know you and you’ve been so nice and you’ve made this experience unforgettable.”

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While thanking her team, family and fellow cast members, Lawrence even managed to sneak in a birthday shoutout to French actress (and fellow Best Actress nominee) Emmanuelle Riva who turned 86 on Sunday.

But after the awards show had ended, Lawrence remained in good spirits about her slip when she was asked about it backstage. “The fall on the way up to the stage, was that on purpose?” Her reply? “Absolutely.”

And to another reporter: “What do you mean what happened? Look at my dress. I tried to walk up stairs in this dress. … I think I just stepped on the fabric and they waxed the stairs.”

It’s been a whirlwind awards season for Lawrence who also won a Screen Actors Guild Award and Golden Globe.
– With Reporting by Julie Jordan and Elizabeth Leonard