Crossbow strings are being drawn as fans of Suzanne Collins’ The Hunger Games book trilogy, set to become a Lionsgate film, debate the vital question: who will play heroine Katniss Everdeen?
As a rabid Hunger Games fan myself, I’ve kept tabs on the names that have been suggested in the various corners of the internet. Some have been predictable, some surprising, some “close but no cigar” and some so bats**t crazily wrong it has made me scratch my eyeballs out with a shiv (a badass weapon that would do Katniss proud).
Katniss is a complex role that requires a mix of natural, raw beauty, balls and brains that would be tough for any actress to pull off. I’ll be knocking off 23 potential candidates or Katniss character Tributes to show you why I think Malese Jow deserves to be the final actress standing for the part. It is ironic how the casting process for a movie is kinda like the Hunger Games itself.
Just like the most adept Tributes in the book lasted the longest, I’ll start with the Katniss actress candidates least likely to work and work my up through the actresses who I think would make a better and better fit.
MILD SPOILER WARNING – some book discussion will inevitably occur though I try not to ruin any major surprises.
About Katniss and the The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games trilogy is set in a dystopian world in the future where an authoritarian regime, the Capitol, reigns over 12 subjugated districts. In the past, a district had tried to overthrow the Capitol regime, so to reassert their authority the Capitol started forcing each district to send one boy and one girl in their teens as “Tributes” to take part in an annual reality-TV competition, in which all these “contestants” must fight to the death in an outdoor stadium known as the Arena.
In addition to constantly having the possibility of becoming a Tribute hanging over her head, 16-year-old Katniss has also had to deal with living in one of the poorest districts. After losing her father at a young age, something which sent her mother into a state of near catatonia, Katniss has been the one to bear the burden of feeding three mouths, which she has been very capably able to do due to her grit, determination and crack shot with her father’s crossbow.
Katniss has become somewhat hardened because of her experiences; flirtations, niceties and other things that usually occupy the minds of teenage girls aren’t important to her. Yet curiously because of these hardships, Katniss is very drawn to innocence, as embodied most strongly in her protectiveness towards her sister Prim and later fellow Tribute Rue. Her desire to protect those weaker than her that she cares about is what leads her to being a Hunger Games Tributes in the first book; she offers to take Prim’s place in the Games when Prim’s name is called in the annual Tribute “reaping”.
Physically, Katniss has olive skin, dark hair, and a lean, athletic build of a hunter slightly emaciated by literal hunger.
Oh yeah, and Katniss has the affections of two boys, Peeta and Gale, the basis for “The greatest literary debate in history” on Young Adult Forever which was truly hilarious.
So let’s get our knives, maces, numchucks, stakes, and, yes, crossbows out as we look at my Katniss actress Tribute Hit Girls and finally my one Tribute It Girl.
The actress tributes
(remember, don’t shoot me for my suggestions! These have all been suggested by other sources on the internet so it is not just me :))
Tribute #1 Miley Cyrus
I promise this was NOT my idea!
Where you’ve seen her before:
Hannah Montana, The Last Song and, if you are a cheesy dance fan like me, the online YouTube dance battle between M&M Cru and ACDC (ACDC FTW by the way!)
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
C’mon, there is NO WAY, I could believe Hannah Montana would last more than an hour in the gladiatorial bloodshed of the Arena. Seriously, someone inject me with Morphling if Miley is cast, because only that would deaden my pain.
Tribute #2 Megan Fox
Where you’ve seen her before:
Transformers movies, Jennifer’s Body
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
All acting skills or lack thereof aside, Megan Fox’s whole image is based on her being a sexy provocateur. Katniss is attractive but far from being a seductive maneater. She is absolutely clueless when it comes to handling the affections of Peeta and Gale. Or as her mentor Haymitch says, she is “as charming as a dead slug”.
A staple of the trilogy are the over-the-top makeovers tomboy Katniss is given by her Hunger Games advisors/coaches to be transformed into the kind of glamourpuss that will attract the support of Capitol sponsors; they can give life or death “gifts” once Tributes are in the Arena and are often swayed in their decisions by how attractive Tributes are in the pre-Games interviews. Though this is treatment teenage girls would normally love, Katniss is wildly uncomfortable with the whole process. Megan Fox thrives on glamour, and I don’t think she has the acting chops to do something similar to Charlize Theron in Monster.
Tribute #3 Kristen Stewart
Where you’ve seen her before: Twilight movies, Adventureland
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Kristen has actually distinguished herself as a decent actress in my eyes through multi-layered performances in movies like Adventureland. And, *ducking rotten tomatoes suddenly thrown at her*, I love the Twilight movies despite her constant lip biting as Bella; I am indiscriminant in my love of vampires that way. However, I think that the role of Katniss is WAY out of Kristen’s depth.
And at the end of the day, the shallow reality is that I would be forever waiting for her to fall in love with a fellow sparkly Tribute or keep expecting Edward to storm the arena cracking a fit because someone dared breathe on his precious Bella. This would take me out of the movie and I would hate for that to happen.
Tribute #4 Troian Bellisario
Where you’ve seen her:
Pretty Little Liars
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
On Pretty Little Liars, Troian convincingly portrays an overachiever with pressures bearing down on her from all angles in a family that expects nothing less than the best. I’ve just found her acting to be a little uneven so far on the series and I’m not sure she is quite ready for a part like Katniss.
Tribute #5 Leighton Meester
Where you’ve seen her before:
Gossip Girl
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
On Gossip Girl as Blair Waldorf, Leighton has let her fair share of verbal arrows fly and demonstrated a capacity for manipulation and plotting that would give even Tribute Foxface, a master strategist on Katniss’ own admission, a run for her money. Katniss needs to be played by someone who we believe can outwit all of her fellow Tributes.
However, Katniss’ upbringing has left her with distaste for luxury and disdain for the decadence of the wealthy Capitol population. After all this time playing Blair Waldorf, who is an unapologetic designer clothes junkie and who only deigned to do something like wash dishes after THREE AND A HALF SEASONS and even then it was practically character assassination, I don’t think Leighton could convincingly pull of Katniss, who has been taking care of most if not all household chores since a very young age and runs around toting various weaponry in the Arena.
Tribute #6 AnnaSophia Robb
Where you’ve seen her before:
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Race to Witch Mountain, Bridge to Terabithia
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
AnnaSophia is a tremendously talented actress who can play complex, multi-layered emotions. She just has a wide-eyed quality about her that feels different to the pragmatic, no-nonsense Katniss, who is a killer we can sympathise with and a product of her circumstances but at the end of the day is a killer.
Tribute #7 Lexi Ainsworth
Where you’ve seen her:
General Hospital, Wild Child, Gilmore Girls
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
I stumbled across Lexi on a Livejournal page suggesting her as a potential Katniss. She certainly has the right look. She even has co-starred with a boy who looks exactly the way I imagine Peeta to look, so the casting agents could save themselves time on a chemistry read!
However, her roles up until now haven’t been particularly challenging, and she is untested dramatically and lacks the experience of other candidates on this list I think would be needed to pull off Katniss.
Tribute #8 Kat Dennings
Where you’ve seen her before:
40 Year Old Virgin, Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Kat has the corner on the acting market of the beautiful, smart girl who doesn’t realise her own beauty, much like Katniss is the reluctant Girl on Fire. Kat is a classy, intelligent actress, but I have never seen her exhibit the ferociousness that spills force from Katniss in certain scenes.
Tribute #9 Imogen Poots
Where you’ve seen her before: 28 Weeks Later
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
In 28 Weeks Later, Imogen depicted a reluctant heroine on the run from human beings infected with a deadly rage virus, who protected her sibling at all costs. Her delicate flower appearance and fragility, though the belie an inner fire, make her a better candidate for Katniss’ friend Madge Undersee than Katniss herself.
Tribute #10 Nina Dobrev
Where you’ve seen her before:
The Vampire Diaries, of course!
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Nina kicks ass as bad girl Katherine, the doppelganger yang to good girl Elena’s yin, on The Vampire Diaries, who, like Katniss, is a survivor first and foremost and is skilled at hunting humans (Katherine by choice; Katniss by circumstances), negotiating and making hot men fall all over themselves for her.
Nevertheless, there is still just something so sweet and innocent about Nina’s face that I truly can’t picture her as the world weary Katniss, hardened by years of hardship, near starvation and living under an oppressive authoritarian regime.
Tribute #11 Abigail Breslin
Abigal is the one with a baseball bat against her shoulders to use on zombies like pinatas
Where you’ve seen her before:
Little Miss Sunshine, Zombieland
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Abigail defied my “cute child actor” preconceptions with her edgy character Little Rock in Zombieland, but no matter what she just exudes an inner sweetness that makes me think more of Prim than Katniss.
Tribute #12 Jodelle Ferland
Where you’ve seen her before:
Silent Hill, Case 39, Wonderful World, Twilight: Eclipse
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
At 16, Jodelle is exactly Katniss’ age. She is a fan of the books and has even dressed up as Katniss for Halloween, showing how physically perfect she is for the role.
Although Jodelle has played both complex kids and teens, some who you believe would be willing to kill if necessary, she hasn’t played a meaty enough role to convince me she could really sink her teeth fully into the role of Katniss. Plus anyone associated with Bree Tanner and her “hamburger of pain” is hard for me to take seriously as a contender for Katniss.
Tribute #13 Emily Browning
Where you’ve seen her before:
Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Uninvited
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Emily has incredible range; examples include introversion with a hint of darkness in Lemony Snicket and depression and near-psychosis in The Uninvited; the latter important qualities for any character playing Katniss given her character arc in Mockingjay. Emily is also a natural beauty, a little less perfectly sleek like many young Hollywood actresses. I just think that her face lacks the ethnic ambiguity it is implied Katniss has.
Tribute #14 Jennifer Lawrence
Where you’ve seen her before:
Winter’s Bone
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
The family life of Jennifer’s Winter’s Bone character almost eerily mirrors that of Katniss; she deals with a mentally ill mother and the responsibility of caring for younger siblings. The spirit with which she inhabits this caretaker role is done with a similar spunk and grit to Katniss and Jennifer is receiving critical acclaim for her performance.
Jennifer is also currently filming a physically demanding role in the new X Men: First Class movie that shows she is more than capable of handling the many stunts no doubt required of any actress tackling Katniss.
Ultimately, however, her fine-boned and spun gold appearance is just too physically different to Katniss for me.
Tribute #15 Alexandra Daddario
Where you’ve seen her before:
Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
The weapon of choice for Alexandra’s character Annabeth Chase in Percy Jackson is a crossbow. Annabeth is also the daughter of Athena, the goddess of wisdom, which required believably portraying quick-witted knowledge.
There are two main things that count against her in my mind. First, she is a little too old to play Katniss at age 24. This is not a shallow point, as age is a critical factor for the actress who plays Katniss; part of the point of the savagery of the Hunger Games is the Capitol is displaying its seemingly omniscient power by forcing children to kill one another.
Second, Alexandra always just comes across as too uniformly fierce in her performances for me to want her to play Katniss. The key scene in the first book for me involves Katniss dressing a fallen Tribute with flowers and singing to her softly with a tenderness that is a rebellion in its own way. I don’t know if Alexandra could bring this part of Katniss to life effectively.
Tribute #16 Tania Raymonde
Where you’ve seen her before:
Lost
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
As Ben’s tragic daughter on and later a physical incarnation of the Smoke Monster and thus pure evil on Lost, Tania is like a flash sideways version of Katniss. Again, she is simply too old to play Katniss, compounded by the fact that she has a mature face for her age.
Tribute #17 Chloë Moretz
Where you’ve seen her before:
Kick-Ass, Let Me In
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Chloë has combined preternatural maturity with a deceptively youthful, innocent façade in several roles, vital for any actress planning to play old soul Katniss, who has the capacity to be lethal when the situation calls for it. One example is Let Me In, where Chloë plays an ages old vampire trapped in a child’s body.
Physically, milky-skinned Chloë does not fit the bill, however. Also, she is a touch too young at age 13. Katniss carries on an initially entirely phony steamy romance with Peeta (though some real feelings eventually stir) to pander to Capitol sponsors watching the drama of the Arena unfold through the Hunger Games cameras. Depending on the age of the actor cast as Peeta, those scenes could be awkward considering Chloë’s age.
Tribute #18 Danielle Chuchran
Where you’ve seen her before:
A fanmade video of the final Rue/Katniss scene featuring Danielle as Katniss that went viral
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Fans have been in awe of Danielle’s portrayal of Katniss in this key scene. The fact that she is a virtual unknown could actually work quite well for the role, as audiences would have little to no baggage or preconceptions about her as they would the more well-established actresses on this list. However, her inexperience and flimsy CV means that I don’t know how far her range extends and Katniss requires more ingredients than what is showcased in that admittedly harrowing and moving scene.
Tribute #19 Saoirse Ronan
Where you’ve seen her before:
Atonement, Death Defying Acts, City of Ember
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Saoirse will star as a teenage assassin in upcoming film Hanna, and was no doubt chosen because of her history of playing old soul characters often with an element of danger lurking below the surface.
Her Briony in Atonement radiates intelligence and moral ambiguity while at the same time retaining a degree of naivety, a tough combination that would serve her well as Katniss. Katniss’ worldliness is definitely not absolute. For instance, Peeta says to her: “It’s like when you wouldn’t look at me naked in the Arena even though I was half dead. You’re so… pure.”
Saoirse’s pale and fragile appearance just makes her hard to visualise as the tough, nuggety Katniss.
Tribute #20 Lyndsy Fonseca
Where you’ve seen her before:
Kick-Ass, Nikita
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
As undercover rebel spy Alex on Nikita, Lyndsy channels Katniss’ badass nature on a regular basis: Lyndsy is highly effective playing the part of a young woman sick and tired of being controlled like a puppet by a high controlling power and fiercely determined to do her part to help overthrew TPTB. At 23, Lyndsy is once more simply too old to play Katniss.
Tribute #21 Kaya Scodelario
Where you’ve seen her before:
Skins
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Kaya is the favourite for a lot of fans to play the role of Katniss, and I can see why. Portraying the emotionally mercurial Effy Stonem in Skins has shown that she definitely has the chops to tackle the many facets of Katniss’ personality, which are as diverse as tender to hostile.
I just think that if Kaya’s take on Effy is any indication, her portrayal of a badass female would be a little too detached and she would actually be better as the Tribute Glimmer, who is the antithesis of her name. Katniss internalises many of her emotions, but I would want the conflicting feelings beneath the surface to be more evident than what I have seen with Kaya’s badass character. Kaya certainly is a strong contender though.
I also have an issue with Kaya’s physicality. Katniss is athletic but slightly emaciation due to near starvation. Kaya is just plain petite, and there is a difference. I think an actress with a more athletic build diminished down, rather than a purely petite one, would look more like the vision of Katniss I have in my mind.
Tribute #22 Caitlin Stasey
Where you’ve seen her before:
Tomorrow, When The War Began, which is based on the first novel in my all-time favourite book series by Australian author John Marsden. Here’s hoping this film gets a wider release than Australia pronto!
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
Caitlin blew me away with her performance as Ellie Linton from Tomorrow When The War Began, a character who is plunged into a world where she is forced to call upon the survival skills she unwittingly honed through her rural upbringing.
Ellie is similar to Katniss in another fundamental way: she is deeply loyal and would never leave her man behind in battle. Katniss bands together with other Tributes as a survival strategy, and develops a few strong bonds with candidates that make their deaths (which she tries to prevent) heart-breaking to her, even though ultimately all Tributes are pitted against one another to the death.
One Tomorrow scene in particular comes to mind that screams Katniss. Ellie and a handful of other teenagers have escaped capture during an invasion and become rebel war soldiers. When Ellie discovers that one of her team fell asleep on a sentry watch, she is gripped with a near murderous rage and holds this person at gunpoint during a taut, tense moment, before suddenly recovering her humanity and recognising the madness of her behaviour.
Caitlin’s one weakness is that she couldn’t quite carry off dark humor in the film, a characteristic that Katniss occasionally displays.
Tribute #23 Ellen Page
Where you’ve seen her before:
Hard Candy, Juno, Inception
Why she is one of my Tribute Hit Girls:
In Hard Candy, Ellen’s tweenaged character plays a cat and mouse game with an adult man who is presumably a pedophile (though this is left up to the viewer to decide) that is surprisingly a chilling predator versus predator match. She punched me in the guts with that take-no-prisoners performance, and she easily has the grit to play Katniss.
I have no doubt she could make the transition from sarcastic 16-year-old preparing to give her baby up for adoption in Juno to a 16-year-old forced into a world where her fake pregnancy can be used as a bargaining chip for her life. In fact, the only reason she has made my Hit Girls list is because I think Malese Jow just ever so slightly edges her out as the best candidate.
Incidentally, Ellen is number one pick on AWESOME Hunger Games Dream Cast post by Kjewls from TV Recappers Anonymous, which introduced me to the books in the first place.
Tribute #24 Malese Jow
Where you’ve seen her before:
The Vampire Diaries
Why she is my Tribute It Girl:
Anyone who has taken a casual glance around my blog will be aware of my obsession with The Vampire Diaries. However, I care too much about the character of Katniss to let that bias me – I have chosen Malese as my Tribute It Girl because I truly believe she is the best girl for the role.
In terms of looks, Malese is a perfect Katniss with her olive complexion and brunette hair. Also, as Malese herself said in a recent MTV interview, “I’ve been pegged as ‘ethnically ambiguous’. I think [in] the years Hunger Games takes place, everyone is going to be ethnically ambiguous. Everyone is going to have some exotic flavor to them. Slap some gray contacts on me, and I’m good to go.” The future world The Hunger Games is set in is indeed one where ethnic boundaries are likely to have been heavily blurred, due to globalisation’s heightened international migration movements.
As Anna on TVD, Malese has shown the acting chops to inhabit Katniss fully.
She was cutthroat and tough in her pursuit of opening a tomb to release her entrapped vampire mother (long story!), and made me believe that she was the peer of vampires played by actors who are much older than her. Katniss may inwardly be insecure but outwardly she commands a sense of authority, even grudgingly from members of the Capitol.
At the same time, Malese’s Anna was alternately naïve and tender in her romance with Jeremy; she aptly describes him as her “weakness” and her refusal to leave him behind is ultimately what gets her killed in the series. Katniss is tough, but her love for her sister Prim is what causes her to choose to be placed in dangerous settings even when avoidance is possible.
In the scene where Anna feeds on Jeremy’s blood, after he deliberately cuts his hand to provoke her vampirism, Malese was fantastic at showing the internal struggle with giving fully into her violent instincts. An important part of Katniss’ character arc is her struggle to retain humanity even in a setting like the Arena.
Malese can play serious, hostile, darkly funny, sensitive, and badass.
Remember the salute the members of Katniss’ district give her when she takes her sisters’ place in The Hunger Games as a sign of honour?
This salute is my seal of approval for Malese as Katniss:
Thank you, as always, F**K Yeah Steven R McQueen Tumblr!
May the odds be in Malese’s favour as the studio execs cast the part ;).
Want Malese to be Katniss? Join the online campaign!
Follow @xMalese4Katniss and @xoMalese (Malese herself) on Twitter, use the Tweet tag #MaleseForKatniss and join the campaign’s Facebook page.
Think I am way off base with Malese as Katniss or the ordering of the Tribute Hit List? Think I have grievously misunderstood Miley Cyrus’ acting abilities? Sound off in the comments!
myspideysenseistingling 
December 12th, 2010 at 5:30 pm
This post is amazing, Cherie! You just created the Official Katniss Everdeen Casting Bible! So many media articles highlight four or five possible casting picks for the role. But your post, is the only one I’ve seen so far, that has collected all the names that were mentioned, and conducted a thorough analysis of each of them.
I do like the idea of Malese Jow as Katniss, for many of the reasons you suggested. She has the look, intensity, vulnerability, relatability, and range to carry out this part. I also kind of like the fact that she is a relative newcomer to the acting world (at least in terms of sheer name recognition). The producers of the American version of the Dragon Tattoo films went a similar route, by choosing relative newcomer Rooney Mara to play Lisbeth Salander.
The added benefit of an actress like that in a role like this, is that viewers will have no trouble seeing her as Katniss. With a “bigger name,” sometimes people tend to focus on the actress in a role, as opposed to the character she is playing.
I’ll use Miley Cyrus for an example. Even if she was amazing in the role (questionable?), I can imagine people watching the movie, and saying things like “Wow, Hannah Montana is actually not terrible as Katniss.” As opposed to, “Wow, I can’t believe what Katniss is going through right now. I hope she survives.” In other words, having Hannah Montana as the lead may distract viewers from the actual story the writers and producers are trying to tell. Does that make sense?
Speaking of Miley (LOL at all your comments related to her by the way, especially in light of her recent “Bong Sucking” Fiasco), while I would definitely not cast her as Katniss, I think it might be a fun bit of stunt casting to have her play one of the other tributes (Glimmer? Foxface?)
Here’s why . . . a few years back . . . a very mediocre horror film, “House of Wax,” did way better in the box office than it should have for one reason, and one reason only: Paris Hilton . . . with a giant pole smashed through her head . . . See what I’m getting at here ;).
(On a slightly unrelated note, I’m currently reading Last Sacrifice, the final book in The Vampire Academy Series. So much fun!)
December 12th, 2010 at 10:14 pm
Thanks for your awesome and sweet words, especially since I know Ellen is your first pick – both are such good casting choices but I Malese just appeals to me that smidgen more.
Catharsis = Miley Cyrus as Tribute who meets gory death 🙂 I don’t hate Miley – her part in the dance battle endeared her to me forever – but Katniss is just so far out of her league that I basically squawked when I saw someone seriously suggest her!
You’re also absolutely right about the distraction aspect she brings. I mean, it is no coincidence that I referred to her by her Hannah Montana alter ego as though she is a real person. To me Miley will always BE HM.
Anna truly has the perfect combination of talent, experience and relative anonymity to the non-Vampire Diaries-watching world to be an amazing Katniss!
Can’t wait to hear what you think about the last Vampire Academy book. Such an awesome series! Adrian here you come 😉
January 16th, 2011 at 5:49 pm
Your dead on about Malese being the perfect choice. She has the range , expirenece, none of the baggage other big names would bring to the movie.
January 23rd, 2011 at 2:54 pm
Hi Ayyo! Thanks for stopping by and commenting!
I really agree with you that a relative unknown, who clearly has the dramatic chops, would work well in this role, because we won’t take any preconceived notions or “baggage”, as you put it, into the movie when watching them.
Once I saw Malese listed as a potential casting choice, I haven’t been able to picture anyone else in the role.
January 28th, 2011 at 3:06 am
WANK WANK WANK!!!!!!! I love the little video of Katniss and Rue, but I think Katniss’s hair should be a little browner. PLUS, I would add Dakota Fanning to the list!
January 29th, 2011 at 8:27 am
I agree with you about the Katniss hair colour. Her braid signifies so much and is such an icon that I want even the hair of the actress to be perfect, dammit!
I can’t believe I left off Dakota! *facepalm*. She’s an incredible actress and could easily pull of the part.
February 5th, 2011 at 6:11 pm
That seen is just not right.
February 6th, 2011 at 3:07 am
Oh, which scene are you referring to? The Rue death scene? I was EXTREMELY UPSET when that happened in the book.
March 19th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
Yes. So was I. In school a while ago, my class did a project where we read an adventure book and then created a gameboard out of the book. I did all three Hunger games books.
February 5th, 2011 at 6:09 pm
Wow! I don’t care if Alexandra is too old, she would do well as Katniss. She wasn’t ideal as Annabeth, mostly because of her looks, but she did well acting. Sh’s the best for Katniss.
Her hair color is perfect, and if it was put in a braid, she would remarkably resemble Katniss. But can you post the actor for for Peeta? that would be awesone, especially if you put up Prim’s actor and Gale’s.
February 6th, 2011 at 2:54 am
Hi Alex! Thanks so much for stopping by and commenting!
I agree with you that Alexandra would be awesome as Katniss. So many older actors play younger parts, and Katniss is an old soul, so you never know 😉
I was actually thinking about doing some actor tribute posts for other characters. Any suggestions yourself for Peeta, Prim and Gale?
February 25th, 2011 at 4:27 am
This is awesome! One thing that dawned on me when I was scrolling through was what about Anna Popplewell? She played Susan in the Chronicles of Narnia. She’s a bit old for the roll, but not too old, and she uses a bow! http://www.imdb.com/media/rm3387460608/nm0691600
Just a thought…
February 26th, 2011 at 11:12 am
Aww, thanks! It was fun choosing so many actress tributes to kill off and choose from 😉
Anna Popplewell definitely looks like she could play the part, and is obviously no stranger to fantasy, so who knows? She might end up wearing the Katniss braid!
February 26th, 2011 at 11:35 pm
Really enjoyed reading your post!
I agree with a lot of your views and Malese is in fact a remarkably suitable actress.
Concerning Anna Popplewell and Ellen Page – I think they just don’t look like they’ve been close to starvation once, you know? Like their bodies are not exactly the thin one I imagined for Katniss, but rather “normal” – which is just their type of body, nothing they could do anything against, but still.. 😉
I do like Kaya Scodelario a lot, in fact since I’ve seen her being proposed once, she’s been my No. 1 – you convinced me right away to make Malese my No. 2, though 😀
Anyway, as long as it’s not someone from the bottom of your list (*cough* Megan Fox etc. *cough*) I’ll be okay with it 😉
February 27th, 2011 at 6:27 am
Hi Fireheart!
Thanks so much for stopping by and your kind comments!
Kaya Scodelario would be an awesome choice, and one of the hardest parts about writing this tribute post was the ordering of the final ten tributes. The bottom few tributes, like Miley Cyrus and Megan Fox, on the other hand, were EXTREMELY easy to discard with little more than a snark. Sorry ladies!
I know that some people might think physicality shouldn’t be such a big deal, but I think with Katniss it is important because the age of the tributes, and the relative poverty of her District, need to be convincingly reflected in the actress who portrays her. God, it will be such a hard role to pull off, and I can’t wait to see the final Katniss chosen in action!
March 19th, 2011 at 4:14 pm
When you do find out, post it up here immideitly and send it to all the Spidey Sense contacts so we can all Know.
March 19th, 2011 at 6:12 pm
So, in case anyone hasn’t heard it yet: they’ve picked Jennifer Lawrence. What do you guys think??
In my mind it’s wrong to pick someone just because they can play well. There would’ve been many who looked the part AND were good actresses, but no, impossible, they have to choose someone who doesn’t match the description in the book at all.
Seriously, it’s not a matter of interpretation as Katniss is described in a quite detailed way. It was said very slender (always imagined it a bit like a boy), olive skinned with dark brown hair, grey eyes and a kinda rough face. And what do we get? Delicate face, blonde hair, looking like a real woman… Not exactly what I think is how Catnip should look like.
Right now I feel like they’re willingly trying to spoil the film, because for me there’s just no explanation why Jennifer Lawrence should be more suitable than Malese or Kaya… O.o
Apart from that, she’s too old as well. The most tragic part of the whole Hunger Games is that they’re sending kids and teenagers to their death. I mean, sure it’s sad and wrong as well to let adults kill each other, but the tributes being so young was the special thing about it, wasn’t it? And when Katniss already is 20 instead of 16, everyone will be older and in their mid-20s which will change everything in my mind.
I just can’t see any good sides of her being Katniss 😦
What’s your opinion??
October 20th, 2011 at 4:55 am
there are only 12 disticts therefore only 12 girls and 12 boys. there would not be 17 or more tribute girls…just saying
November 29th, 2011 at 12:04 pm
The whole model of 12 tribute girls does not suit, since it’s not about many different girls, but rather one actress she wanted to find. Sorry, but don’t be a nitpicker and leave everyone the fun.
October 5th, 2013 at 7:35 pm
Caitlin Stasey would have been my number 1 choice. In my opinion she fits the role perfectly. Jennifer Lawrence also plays Katniss well but she just doesn’t look like a 16 year-old in any way. She’s too mature for the role.