At the age of 23, Hollywood actress Jennifer Lawrence seems already “to have done it all”. Her career has been a glittering one, including such successful franchise films as 'X-Men: First Class' as well as the critically acclaimed 'The Silver Linings Playbook', for which she won the Academy Award for Best Actress. The talented actress returns in the second Hunger Games film (based on the books by Suzanne Collins), reprising her role as gritty heroine Katniss Everdeen. She talks about why working on The Hunger Games: Catching Fire felt like a homecoming:
What did it feel like to revisit your character?
I’ve always played a brand new character and Katniss is the only same character (I’ve done), but in completely new circumstances. She has changed.
And it’s a character that I love, and a story and message that I’m passionate about, so I haven’t managed to get bored. That’s a pretty hard character to get bored with, though. There was less preparation this time because I was like, I’ve done this before. It was like going back to high school — we had a lot of the same people, obviously Josh (Hutcherson) and Liam (Hemsworth) were there. Normally, when I do a movie, I’m meeting people for the first time, so it was just amazing to be able to have the same group of people. It was fun.
How was it reuniting with Josh and Liam?
It’s amazing. Josh and Liam are my two best friends in the entire world and what are the chances that they would get cast — there are so many people in the world! I guess how lucky I am surprises me.
What is it about Hunger Games that resonates with people around the world?
I think there are a lot of things. Katniss is a very refreshing heroine. There are not a lot of characters or roles like Katniss that you see in big movies, somebody so driven and strong and being a female too; this is such a different approach to filmmaking. Also, I think people can really relate to the themes in the story, that are parallel to where world is today or where it could go.
Has this second film been easier to make than the first one, or harder?
It’s possible that it was less complicated in some aspects, but more in others. As far as acting goes, it makes things easier because this is a character I’ve played before, so you don’t have to repeat that long initial process of understanding her. But at the same time, it’s complicated because you want to preserve the parts people liked, while giving them something new.
Were things different on the sets since it was shot after you won an Oscar (for 'Silver Linings Playbook')?
Nobody at work treats me differently. In fact, my Oscar made me the target. Every time I messed up my line, Woody Harrelson would be like, “Yeah... Better give that Oscar back”. I actually wished that everybody in this cast didn’t know about it. It would have made my life lot easier.
As people and actors, what it is like being in the centre of the world?
It’s overwhelming, but in a good way and sometimes in a bad way. It can be exhausting and endearing but it’s also something to be really grateful for.
I mean the overwhelming like love and support from the fans that we never take for granted. But also the kind of set up of presses run can be exhausting and draining. But there’s nothing to complain about.
