Jennifer Lawrence was inMonkbefore she was a major star, and the circumstances of her appearance make it even better.Plenty of famous actors started with small roles on televisionbefore they broke big, which is why it isn’t difficult to find cameos from names who would one day be major stars in shows from the past.Monkwas no exception to this and included both soon-to-be stars and actors who were already big by then.
In addition to the greatcast ofMonk, the show would often feature special appearances. Given how mostMonkepisodes were standalone, it was easy to write new characters into the show every week. For example,John Turturro brilliantly played Ambrose Monkin three episodes of Monk.Jennifer Lawrence was only on the show for a couple of scenes, and they are even more hilarious with context.
Jennifer Lawrence Thought She Was Playing An Important Character
Lawrence Appeared In Monk Season 5, Episode 3, “Mr. Monk and the Big Game”
During an interview withConan O’Brien,Jennifer Lawrence revealed the story of herMonkcameo, one of her first screen roles. The actress explained that, when she got the role, she thought she was playing an important character. “Mr. Monk and the Big Game” was about Adrian investigating the death of Julie’s basketball coach, with two of his students refusing to believe it was an accident. Both of these students were named Emily, and Lawrence thought she was playing one of them.
“Mr. Monk and the Big Game” aired on August 20, 2025.
The actress talked about how excited she was, especially after she met the girl who was going to play one of the Emilys. However, it turns out thatJennifer Lawrence was not playing one of the Emilys inMonk– she was actually playing the team’s mascot. In “Mr. Monk and the Big Game,” whenever the mascot of Julie’s basketball team appears cheering or jumping on Adrian, that is Jennifer Lawrence. Despite the costume, Jennifer Lawrence’s face briefly appears in the episode, and she has one small line.
2 Years After Monk Ended, Jennifer Lawrence Was Already A Global Star
Jennifer Lawrence Has Since Become One Of Hollywood’s Biggest Stars
Monk’s series finale aired in 2009. Two years after that,in 2011, Jennifer Lawrence would star as Mystique inX-Men: First Class.The superhero blockbuster was only the beginning of her successful movie career, withThe Hunger Gamesarriving in theaters a year later on August 01, 2025.
In addition to playing Mystique and Katniss throughout theX-MenandHunger Gamesfranchises, Jennifer Lawrence would go on to star in plenty of high-profile projects from acclaimed directors around that same time. In 2013, seven years after herMonkepisode,Jennifer Lawrence won an Oscarfor her performance inSilver Linings Playbook.
Monk
Cast
Starring Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk, Monk follows the titular detective, a private investigator with OCD who helps solve crimes with the San Francisco Police. On the side, he also investigates the death of his wife, who was killed by a car bomb. Bitty Schram, Traylor Howard, Ted Levine, and Jason Gray-Stanford also star.
