It's hard to imagine a time when Jennifer Lawrence wasn't a household name, but the truth is, homegirl has only been doing her thang in Hollywood for seven years now.

She starred in her first feature film, "The Poker House," in 2008. The gritty drama was inspired by actress Lori Petty's own upbringing in Iowa. Lawrence landed the lead role, and Petty, who also directed the project, knew she was destined to be a star.

MTV News caught up with Petty at Orange Con last week, where she was promoting season three of "Orange Is The New Black," and she gave us her first impressions of young JLaw.

"When we were doing 'A League of Their Own,' [Robert] De Niro, who was good friends with Penny [Marshall] was doing 'This Boy's Life,'" Petty explained. "And he goes, 'You got to see this kid.' So we go over to the editing room, and it was Leonardo [DiCaprio], and I was like, 'That motherf-ker. That -- oh my god.' So I felt like that when I saw Jennifer's tape. I just knew she was a movie star."

Petty certainly has an eye for talent. Two years after making her starring debut in "The Poker House," Lawrence received an Oscar nomination for her stunning performance in "Winter's Bone."

"I'm so happy for her and her success," Petty said, before joking that she owes her 25 million dollars. Fair.