Jennifer Lawrence appeared on the latest episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast and spoke out for the first time about what it was like to reprise Katniss Everdeen for the first time in 11 years. The Oscar winner is back as her iconic “Hunger Games” character in the upcoming prequel movie “Sunrise on the Reaping,” in theatres Nov. 20 from Lionsgate.
“It was unbelievable,” Lawrence said about reprising Katniss. “It was so crazy. It was the same crew. It was the same AD, who I’ve worked with a million times because I love him. And with Josh [Hutcherson] and Woody [Harrelson] … it was so emotional. Josh and I didn’t walk to the bathroom without our arms around each other. It was so beautiful. And Woody, obviously, came through the window of my hotel room uninvited. It wouldn’t be the same if he listened to boundaries or used a door.”
Variety reported last December that Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson were returning as Katniss and Peeta Mellark for a scene in “Sunrise on the Reaping.” Lawrence has now let it slip that Woody Harrelson will also be back as Haymitch. The new prequel movie centres on a young Haymitch (played by Joseph Zada) as he competes in the 50th Hunger Games. Book readers know that Suzanne Collins’ “Sunrise on the Reaping” novel ends with a flash-forward epilogue featuring Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch, so it appears the film adaptation is following suit.
Lawrence told Variety during her “No Hard Feelings” press tour in 2023 that she was “totally” open to reprising her “Hunger Games” role of Katniss Everdeen should the right opportunity arise. She added at the time, “If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent.”
As Katniss, Lawrence headlined four “Hunger Games” movies between 2012 and 2015. The franchise (which also includes the Rachel Zegler-led 2023 prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”) has grossed $3.3 billion to date at the worldwide box office.
“What made me nervous was how it could negatively affect my acting career and my personal life,” Lawrence said on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast about her biggest concern with joining the franchise when she was 20 years old. “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?”
Love Film & TV?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in music, film and TV in Australia and abroad.
Watch Lawrence’s full interview on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast in the video below.
From Variety US