How Jennifer Lawrence Became Katniss Everdeen

September 18, 2024

The Hunger Games series is one of the most inspiring, violent, and thrilling Young Adult stories of the 21st century. The book series was written by Suzanne Collins and consists of a trilogy and a prequel novel.

In 2012, viewers were thrown into the arena of The Hunger Games on the big screen. The films starred Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth. Audiences were able to witness in live-action what they had been reading since the first novel was released in 2008. Watching the films was an intense experience, to say the least. For those of you who have not yet read or seen The Hunger Games, the reason it was so emotional is that the story involves twenty-four children who are sent to an arena to fight to the death...while society watches on television.

At the center of the story, we have Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old from an impoverished family in District 12. Katniss steps into the spotlight when she volunteers as tribute for her sister, Primrose when her name gets selected for the next Hunger Games. Katniss is a brave, caring, and resourceful character. We get to see her develop throughout the trilogy into an inspiring young woman and leader. She is the heart and soul of The Hunger Games. Therefore, it was extremely important to get her casting correct. Let's take a look at how Jennifer Lawrence scored the role of a lifetime in this meaningful series.

The Hunger Games

Katniss Everdeen voluntarily takes her younger sister's place in the Hunger Games: a televised competition in which two teenagers from each of the twelve Districts of Panem are chosen at random to fight to the death.

Created by Suzanne Collins First Film The Hunger Games Latest Film The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 Upcoming Films The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

Was Jennifer Lawrence Offered the Role?

When they were casting The Hunger Games, Jennifer Lawrence was relatively new to Hollywood. Therefore, Lawrence had to audition for the role. She had appeared on TV several times (mostly as one-episode appearances) and she played the lead in Winter's Bone. She ended up being nominated for an Academy Award for her role in that film but was nowhere near the megastar she is today. Her rise to fame is due to her role as Katniss Everdeen.

There were some doubts about the fact that she was twenty years old and the character of Katniss starts as a sixteen-year-old, but both the director and author believed Lawrence was completely right for the part. They believed that because she was older she would bring the maturity to the character that was required. Even though Katniss was only sixteen, she acted as a type of mother figure after her father died in a mining accident. Her mother became so depressed that Katniss took on the head of the household and was required to grow up quicker than the average teenager. Additionally, in an interview with MovieWeb, director Gary Ross explains:

"This is a girl who needs to incite a revolution. We can’t have an insubstantial person play her, and we can’t have someone who’s too young to play this. Suzanne was incredibly adamant about this. Far from being too old, she was very concerned that we would cast someone who was too young."

Are There Audition Tapes You Can Watch?

We have scoured the internet, but we have not been able to find any casting tapes of Jennifer Lawrence. However, there are plenty of interviews with Jennifer Lawrence, and co-star Josh Hutcherson displaying the special relationship they formed during the films. You can also watch this video of Gary Ross explaining about casting Jennifer Lawrence and his creative vision for the film.

Who Else was Up for the Part?

A plethora of talented young actresses were vying for the role of Katniss Everdeen aka 'the girl on fire'. Many of the girls had read the books and looked up to Katniss as the heroine she is. Back when The Hunger Games was written, it was uncommon to have a young girl as the main character of a massive action franchise. Therefore, this was a unique opportunity for the girls to play a strong female character. According to the director, Jennifer Lawrence blew everyone away at her audition and brought a lot of depth and power to the character. In other words, she made sure they remembered her. Other actresses who were competing for the role (thankfully not until the death), included Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), Abigail Breslin (Little Miss Sunshine), Saoirse Ronan (Lady Bird), Hailee Steinfeld (The Edge of Seventeen), Emily Browning (Sucker Punch), Mary Mouser (Cobra Kai), Jodelle Ferland (Case 39), Brie Larson (Captain Marvel), Shailene Woodley (The Fault in Our Stars), Chloe Grace Moretz (The Peripheral), Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner), Lyndsy Fonseca (Kick-Ass), Troian Bellisario (Pretty Little Liars), and Isabelle Fuhrman (Orphan). Fuhrman went on to play Clove, a tribute from District 2.

Who Turned Down the Role?

The role was not offered to any other actress before Lawrence. Gary Ross explained to Entertainment Weekly,

"I absolutely cast the right person for the role and in my view there wasn’t even a question who the best Katniss was. It was the easiest casting decision I ever made in my life."

Surprisingly, Lawrence was reluctant to take on the role because she knew that the franchise was so popular and she was concerned about how this would affect her personal life. Thankfully, Lawrence decided to accept the part because she admired Katniss's personality and spirit.

Did Jennifer Lawrence Have a Previous Relationship with the Cast or Crew?

Seeing as this was at the beginning of her career, as far as we know Jennifer Lawrence did not have prior friendships or work relationships with the cast or crew. The exception is with Josh Hutcherson, whom she met in 2011 before they had been cast in the film together. They met at the SAG Awards when they were each there representing their films (The Kids Are Alright and Winter's Bone). Hutcherson reminisced to Yahoo Entertainment,

"She came over to me and she told me this story about how when she was about 10 years old, she had seen in a local newspaper in Kentucky that this young actor had gone out to California...to become an actor, and that was me. And she showed that to her parents and was like, 'Look, I want to do this, too. This kid [is] doing it.' So it's crazy that we ended up doing these movies together."

It is amazing that Lawrence was inspired by Hutcherson and that they each went on to have such successful careers in Hollywood.

Will Jennifer Lawrence Be in The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes?

The prequel to The Hunger Games is titled The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes and takes place sixty-four years before the main events. Because of this, we will not see the younger characters of The Hunger Games. Instead, the film will focus on Coriolanus Snow before he becomes President of Panem. The film will be released on November 17th, 2023 in theaters and we are on the edge of our seats in anticipation!

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