Jlaw is back as Katniss! Jennifer Lawrence has finally confirmed as well as spoken about her return as Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, calling it as an “unbelievable” and emotional experience. Speaking on the latest episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, the Oscar-winning actor opened up about reuniting with her former co-stars and crew for the upcoming film, which is scheduled to release in theatres on November 20.
What Jennifer said
During the chat, she said, "It was unbelievable [to reprise the role]. It was so crazy. It was the same crew. It was the same AD, who I have worked with a million times because I love him. And with Josh Hutcherson and Woody Harrelson … it was so emotional. Josh and I did not walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other. It was so beautiful.”
The upcoming film is based on Suzanne Collins' novel of the same name and centres on a young Haymitch, played by Joseph Zada, as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games. The book concludes with a flash-forward epilogue featuring Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch, suggesting that the film adaptation will also revisit the original characters.
On playing Katniss
During the interaction, Lawrence also spoke about her initial thoughts on taking up such a big role in a franchise. “What made me nervous was how it could negatively affect my acting career and my personal life. The one thing I was always sure of when I was younger was that I wanted to be a mom, and this looked so different then doing some indies. ‘Twilight’ had just come out and everybody saw what that was. It was more like… how is this going to change my life and my acting career?” she added.
{{/usCountry}}During the interaction, Lawrence also spoke about her initial thoughts on taking up such a big role in a franchise. “What made me nervous was how it could negatively affect my acting career and my personal life. The one thing I was always sure of when I was younger was that I wanted to be a mom, and this looked so different then doing some indies. ‘Twilight’ had just come out and everybody saw what that was. It was more like… how is this going to change my life and my acting career?” she added.
{{/usCountry}}She portrayed Katniss across four The Hunger Games films released between 2012 and 2015. The franchise also includes the 2023 prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, led by Rachel Zegler, and has earned approximately USD 3.3 billion at the worldwide box office.