Jennifer Lawrence got candid with Viola Davis in a Variety interview about her experiences on the Hunger Games set. She revealed most of the conversation revolved around her body and weight.
The star cited the many opinions, especially from the creators of the blockbuster movie, and how it affected her moving forward.
Keep reading for the details.
The star recalled how the film creators seemed to show major concern about how her weight might affect her character and how she might alter her body to fit into the role. She shared this with fellow actor Viola Davis in a Variety interview.
"There were so many different opinions on what is this, basically this action figure for children, gonna look like."
While noting at that time that the book had already gathered several young audiences, the star remembered the unending questions about her weight and how much she would lose.
"I remember the biggest conversation, of course, this was pre-#MeToo and I'm a woman so, it was weight, and you know, 'How much are you gonna lose?"
The star, who was 20 years old at that time, considered the role of Everdeen an awesome responsibility and a role model for young children. Lawrence avoided dieting, too, because she was young and growing and wanted to set a positive example for the children who would be watching.
"I don't know if I want all of the girls who are gonna dress up as Katniss to feel like they can't because they're not a certain weight," she said. "I can't let that seep into my brain either."
Regardless of how the creators wanted Everdeen to "look like" due to the title, Lawrence made sure creating a positive on-screen role model was important to fill the gap of lack of any similar representation.
"Nobody had ever put a woman in the lead of an action movie because it wouldn't work. We were told girls and boys can both identify with a male lead, but boys cannot identify with a female lead."
She also speaks on the excitement she feels anytime a norm is broken, calling it "amazing".
..And it just makes me so happy every single time I see a movie come out that just blows through every single one of those beliefs and proves that it is just a lie to keep certain people out of the movies, to keep certain people in the same positions that they've always been in,"
The 32-year-old star stayed with the franchise for four seasons and embodied Everdeen. Several years later, she's looking forward to seeing how other actors take up the role in the upcoming prequel set to hit theatres in 2023.
