Jennifer Lawrence Planned to Tell ‘The Hunger Games’ Director off in Her Audition

Jennifer Lawrence has never been one to pull any punches. Over the course of her career, the actor has earned a reputation for her extreme candor. But the actor’s ability to speak her mind isn’t merely restricted to her interviewers. She’s also not afraid to give potential collaborations her opinions, no matter the intensity. In fact, Lawrence had every intention of telling The Hunger Games director, Gary Ross, off before she even booked the role.

Jennifer Lawrence didn’t always want to join ‘The Hunger Games’ cast

Lawrence, of course, portrayed the lead role of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. She then reprised the role for three additional sequels. While Lawerence feels grateful for the opportunity to have played such an iconic character, she initially had a lot of hesitations about joining the wildly popular franchise. In fact, she went into her initial audition for the film with a pretty big chip on her shoulder.

The actor planned to give the film’s director, Gary Ross, a piece of her mind

Like millions of others, Lawrence was a huge fan of The Hunger Games books. In fact, it was her appreciation for the novels that made her resistant to joining the cast. When she received the initial audition for the movie, she wasn’t pleased that the books were being adapted for film, and she had every intention of making her feelings known.

“I’d read all three books and loved them,” Lawrence revealed to Stylist via Digital Spy. “When I heard there was going to be a movie, I was like, ‘Oh, great. Another great book about to be ruined by a film franchise’. I was so against it. In my mind, I went into the initial meeting with the director just to tell him off.”

What changed Lawrence’s mind and made her interested in portraying Katniss Everdeen?

So what triggered Lawrence’s change of heart? It turns out that Ross loved The Hunger Games books just as much as she did. The pair also had a similar way of viewing the novels, and that triggered a shared sense of ethos to do right by the source material. “Everything I had prepared to bring up – the things that were so important about why making a movie of this book wouldn’t work – he agreed,” Lawrence recalled. “He was a fan of the books; we all are… It’s being made by fans.”

Lawrence was terrified of the fame that ‘The Hunger Games’ would bring her

But even when Lawrence realized that she and Ross were on the same page, she was still hesitant to join The Hunger Games cast. The actor witnessed how other film franchises like Harry Potter and Twilight brought its leads an extreme level of fame. Thus, Lawrence wasn’t sure that she was willing to sacrifice her privacy for the sake of a film. She’d already had brushes with fame thanks to her previous work, but nothing like the massive amounts of attention that playing Katniss would bring her.

“I’m more scared of my personal life-changing,” Lawrence explained. “I remember during Oscar season, the thing I hated most was being talked to differently.” Ultimately, however, Lawrence’s love of The Hunger Games won out, and she committed to the role. “I was scared before I said yes, but I didn’t want to miss something I love,” she shared. We’re sure fans of the dystopian films are happy that Lawrence had a change of heart.