How Jen Finally Found happiness

Jennifer Lawrence has stepped away from Hollywood at the peak of her career — and she’s never been more content

Everyone say, ‘Hi, Jennifer,’” drag queen Brita Filter, the emcee at NYC gay bar Pieces instructed the crowd. The group of men who’d packed themselves into the tiny historic spot in the West Village neighborhood enthusiastically complied: “Hi, Jennifer!” The woman receiving such a warm welcome? Actress Jennifer Lawrence, who’d come into the watering hole late on March 22 with her close friend, 15-time Grammy winner Adele, for a girls’ night out. Surrounded by starstruck guys who whipped out their phones to document the moment, the two women gamely played “musical shots,” a variation on musical chairs, and Jen happily did the Macarena to Kylie Minogue’s “Love at First Sight.” As one witness tells Us, “She was like one of the gang.”

That stage at Pieces is the closest the Oscar winner’s been to the spotlight in a while. Jennifer, 28, who’s starred in two multibillion-dollar movie franchises, The Hunger Games and X-Men, has quietly stepped away from Hollywood at the height of her fame. Her last film, Red Sparrow, came out 13 months ago, and she has only two projects on deck: Bad Blood, in which she’ll play Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, and Dark Phoenix, an installment in the X-Men franchise. Otherwise, the usually booked star is packing her schedule with quality time in NYC with her fiancé, Cooke Maroney.

Indeed, the dashing art gallery director, 34, is a big part of the reason one of the most in-demand stars in the world has decided to try life in the slow lane. try life in the slow la “Cooke is a great guy,” a is a great guy,” source close to the actress close to the actr tells Us. “And he’s very . “And he’s very serious serious about Jennifer.”

BREAKING AWAY