Francis Lawrence, the director of the highly anticipated ‘Hunger Games: Catching Fire’, was recently quoted in an Entertainment Weekly issue about Catching Fire.
Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth in 'The Hunger Games'
The issue also had quotes from the producers and the actors, but Francis Lawrence gave a few interesting details that were not previously mentioned by the filmmakers. Specifically, he spoke about Liam Hemsworth [who plays Gale Hawthorne in the movies] and Jennifer Lawrence’s chemistry together, something that is apparent in ‘The Hunger Games’, but often gets glossed over in the news for favor of Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson’s on-screen relationship.
However, Liam has a much larger role in the second film than he had in the first, so it makes sense that his scenes would carry more weight. Francis spoke about Liam’s performance, saying, “Jen and Liam have amazing chemistry. They have a nice moment right before Katniss is reaped that is the very first thing we shot. And then when Gale has been brought in from the whipping, that’s another really nice moment they have alone.” Producer Nina Jacobson also added, “This is the book where you have to understand the pull Katniss feels to both Peeta and Gale.”
Liam Hemsworth in 'Catching Fire'
Jennifer Lawrence also speaks about the uncomfortable love triangle between her character, Liam’s character, and Josh’s character, saying, “These are kids growing up in war who physically, emotionally can’t love somebody. Katniss thinks she can’t have a crush on a boy because she’s worried about survival every single day. And she can’t be a normal 16-year-old meeting her friend out in the woods and practicing kissing because that’s not the world that they live in.”
Catching Fire filming in Hawaii
