Jennifer Lawrence and Amy Schumer are suddenly best friends after a year spent frolicking on vacation and writing a movie script. After the past two weeks, they have one more thing in common: They fell into a trap.

Specifically, that celebrity trap in which people assume that you are the characters you play. Not the characters onscreen in movies and TV shows — but the actual person you present to the world.

The problem with celebrities being more accessible than ever these days is that people assume their personalities on Instagram (or Twitter, talk shows, Reddit AMAs, etc.) are actually what they’re like in real life. Hey, maybe Lawrence really doesn’t have any kind of filter, and Schumer really is that self-deprecating. Those goofy personas are relatable, which is why both actresses have such rabid fanbases. Regardless, those personas are still crafted for the public and the press as they promote projects.

However, people forget that, which is why Lawrence and Schumer experienced recent controversy. Lawrence got flack after the Golden Globes when she snapped at a reporter backstage who was looking at his phone. “You can’t live your whole life behind your phone, bro… You gotta live in the now,” she told him. Lawrence was harshly criticised when the video went viral, especially given that the reporter didn’t speak English as a first language and may have been using his phone to help ask her a question. Others jumped in to defend Lawrence, saying the reporter was indeed taking pictures of her. It didn’t matter. The incident trended on Facebook and Mic declared Lawrence’s moment as America’s Sweetheart over.

Meanwhile, Schumer got attention this week when a teen film critic met her at the Critics’ Choice Awards and tweeted a picture with the following caption: “Spent the night with @amyschumer. Certainly not the first guy to write that!” Schumer shot back with a tweet of her own: “I get it. Cause I’m a whore? Glad I took a photo with you.” Almost immediately, the teen apologised, and sites jumped on the exchange with headlines like “Amy Schumer Perfectly Shut Down A Film Critic For His Sexist Comment” and “Amy Schumer takes down sexist troll on Twitter with a single tweet.” Still, some people slammed Schumer for responding so harshly when much of her stand-up addresses her sexuality. (“Amy Schumer can’t take a joke,” declared an opinion writer at Newsday.)

Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes Show all 20 1 /20 Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I was at the Oscars, waiting to hear if my name was called, and I kept thinking, cakewalk, cakewalk, cakewalk.I thought, 'Why is 'cakewalk' stuck in my head?'" - On why she fell at the Oscars 2013 Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I finally get to make out with Christian Bale and he's a really fat guy. He's Fatman, not Batman." - American Hustle director David O Russell lets slip J-Law's on-set words to US Magazine Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I can’t even... It’s like past mad, it’s this weird other emotion … I feel like my heart just fell out." - To presenter Shaun Robinson after she spoiled the Homeland Season 3 finale Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “He was at a party, and I turned into a perverted guy. I was like following him into rooms and staring at his ass…He asked me if I was on mushrooms and I said, ‘No. I’m dead sober. This is just me.’” - on stalking John Stamos at a party Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I think any time a girl has to show her thighs, it's never going to be her favorite look. I love the dress...if someone else wore it." - To Good Morning America Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I’m a horrible dancer! I’m like a dad at prom. I look like Gumby getting electrocuted.” - On whether you'll see her twerking any time soon Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I just went to the doctor today, I got a chest X-ray of my lungs and discovered that my breasts are uneven.” - Jimmy Kimmel Live PA Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I wrap myself up to look like Lord Voldemort so that they can’t see anything because the thought of giving them a picture that will make them money absolutely infuriates me.” - Entertainment Weekly Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “If I don’t have anything to do all day, I might not even put my pants on.” - Glamour Magazine Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I think people are fascinated with breasts that bounce. They are so used to seeing [fake ones]. People are confused [that mine bounce]! My breasts have a life of their own.” - The Sun Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “You guys are just standing up because you feel bad that I fell and that’s really embarrassing, but thank you.” - 2013 Oscars acceptance speech Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I really would not call myself a fashion icon. I would call myself somebody who gets dressed by professionals. [It's like], 'Dance, monkey, dance' right on the red carpet.' I would call me more of a monkey.” - To E! Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “If anybody even tries to whisper the word 'diet,' I'm like, 'You can go f– yourself.” - To Harper's Bizarre Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "I was surprised at how little camel toe problem there was. I was expecting a lot more." - To E! on her Hunger Games jumpsuit Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes "If I were just your average 23-year-old girl and I called the police to say that there were strange men sleeping on my lawn and following me to Starbucks, they would leap into action." - To Vogue on the paparazzi Getty Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I’m the fastest pee-er ever. I’m famous for it.” - Rolling Stone Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I can see the McDonalds right there. Wait, hold on, I didn’t say fries! I’m seeing you talk and all I’m seeing is me being pissed I didn’t get fries. And you have to remind them about ketchup because they never include ketchup, you have to ask for it. Cheapskates.” - Being interviewed on the Oscars red carpet Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “I want to play a character I’ve never been before-a crazy serial killer like Charlize Theron in Monster. I’d love to have to shave my head.” Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “This isn’t like an auction, right? You guys aren’t going to take it away?” - Backstage at the Oscars Getty Images Jennifer Lawrence's best quotes “This isn’t like an auction, right? You guys aren’t going to take it away?” - Backstage at the Oscars Reuters

Of course, the reason people reacted so strongly is that both occurrences went against what they know about each actress. How could Lawrence ever come off as obnoxious — isn’t she the quirky best friend to everyone? And why would Schumer take offence to a joke about her sex life — isn’t her comedy based on that very idea? Plus, there’s the fact that they’re a package deal now, the Cool Girl squad that you wish you could join.

The lesson to take away from each instance is that, no, despite how “real” Lawrence and Schumer come off to the public, that’s just how people know them: in public. Behind closed doors, they’re just regular people who get annoyed with perceived rudeness or tweets about their sex lives — they react as anyone would.

So just because celebrities are expected to be “themselves” to gain fans in a social media world, it’s crucial to remember that even when they show their “true” personality, you really don’t know anything about them at all.