"I never think it's right to chew gum in front of other people, but a lot of times I'll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I'll forget I'm chewing it. Then you don't want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something, so I've asked to throw it away. I've started to wonder if that's why I didn't get certain movies"
About this Quote
The seven-years-in-your-system myth is doing cultural work here. It’s childhood misinformation repurposed as adult anxiety, a way to show how even a global star still carries dumb little fears into high-stakes rooms. The gum becomes a prop for impostor syndrome: you can be an Oscar winner and still worry you’re committing a social misdemeanor you don’t fully understand.
The sharpest subtext is the closing line, where she half-seriously blames missed roles on gum. It’s funny because it’s plausibly true and obviously absurd. Casting decisions are opaque, arbitrary, and drenched in vibe; “didn’t get certain movies” could be about talent, politics, timing - or one tiny, human detail that reads as disrespect. Lawrence uses gum to mock the industry’s unspoken etiquette economy while also acknowledging how fragile an actor’s control really is. The persona isn’t just relatable; it’s tactical, turning vulnerability into charisma before anyone else can weaponize it.
Quote Details
| Topic | Funny |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Lawrence, Jennifer. (2026, January 15). I never think it's right to chew gum in front of other people, but a lot of times I'll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I'll forget I'm chewing it. Then you don't want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something, so I've asked to throw it away. I've started to wonder if that's why I didn't get certain movies. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-think-its-right-to-chew-gum-in-front-of-153573/
Chicago Style
Lawrence, Jennifer. "I never think it's right to chew gum in front of other people, but a lot of times I'll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I'll forget I'm chewing it. Then you don't want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something, so I've asked to throw it away. I've started to wonder if that's why I didn't get certain movies." FixQuotes. January 15, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-think-its-right-to-chew-gum-in-front-of-153573/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I never think it's right to chew gum in front of other people, but a lot of times I'll come in for a meeting chewing gum and I'll forget I'm chewing it. Then you don't want to swallow it because it stays in your system for seven years or something, so I've asked to throw it away. I've started to wonder if that's why I didn't get certain movies." FixQuotes, 15 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-never-think-its-right-to-chew-gum-in-front-of-153573/. Accessed 7 Feb. 2026.
