Lawrence draws inspiration from Ripley...

Fans of the source material, Suzanne Collins' trilogy of young-adult sci-fi stories revolving around The Hunger Games, are still buzzing over last week's announcement that Jennifer Lawrence would be taking the role of Katniss Everdeen. Some concerns were that Lawrence would be too old to play the sixteen-year-old Katniss, and that they are not physically a match. Katniss, as written, is not only dark-haired, grey-eyed, and olive-skinned; she's also written in the Jane Eyre vein of being incredibly interesting without being incredibly attractive. And anyone can agree, Jennifer Lawrence is incredibly attractive.

In a letter written directly to Entertainment Weekly, Collins, author of the original series, stated that, "after watching dozens of auditions by a group of very fine young actresses, I felt there was only one who truly captured the character I wrote in the book.  And I’m thrilled to say that Jennifer Lawrence has accepted the role."

With all of the concerns over whether or not Jennifer Lawrence was right for the role, nobody mentioned her acting abilities; not only does Lawrence have all the buzz associated with a near-miss at a Best Actress Oscar for Winter's Bone, she also appears to legitimately have the acting chops to pull it off. Collins noted, "I think that was the essential question for me. Could she believably inspire a rebellion? Did she project the strength, defiance and intellect you would need to follow her into certain war? For me, she did."

And what does Lawrence herself have to say about the role? She told EW that she was drawn to the role as a whole, not to one particular aspect or scene from the trilogy. She is also excited about being trained to use the weaponry, "I've never shot a bow and arrow before, so that will be cool." Maybe she'll become a real-life badass with the bow and arrow, like Geena Davis trying out for the 2000 Olympic archery team, or Jessica Biel after receiving training for her role in Blade 3.

When asked which heroines she feels embody the same fighting spirit as Katniss, Lawrence replied, "Sigourney Weaver's Ripley, in Alien, is the first that comes to mind." Now that Katniss has been cast, anticipation is building on an announcement of who will play the second leads, Peeta and Gale.

See also:

Hunger Games: the latest casting rumors

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