The Hunger Games actress Jennifer Lawrence was one of the first people to be cast in the Gary Ross movie, so was able to help audition the others. Jennifer claims that Josh Hutcherson was perfect for the role but they were a bit dubious about Liam Hemsworth, as they thought he was just a hunk.
Lawrence explained, “Well, [Josh and Liam] were amazing. Gary kept saying before Josh read ‘He’s Peeta.’ You have to be like, ‘Gary, there are 20 people outside, stop. We have to give everyone a fair chance.’ Then Josh walked in and I was like, ‘Yep, there is Peeta.’ He absolutely 100% is Peeta! He’s nice, he’s charming, he’s not afraid of anybody. There was no difference! So he could do that so easily.”
She added, “Then Liam walked in and every woman in the room was ‘Wow.’ That unfortunately was against him in the beginning, we were like, ‘Okay he’s just a hunk and hot.’ Then he started to read and he was absolutely incredible. He was real, he was authentic, he listened. He was an incredible actor.”
Jennifer continued, “They were both the best. There were a lot of people that were really great, but as far as those roles go they were the best.” The Hunger Games is set to be released on March 23.
