The movies based on the dystopian novel, The Hunger Games, were certainly a treat to watch. Through the four movies, viewers follow Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen as she strives to change how things unfairly work in the fictional nation of Panem. With her bow and arrow in hand, Katniss sets out on an absolutely thrilling journey.
In order to live up to the character of Katniss, Jennifer Lawrence had to go through a ton of training. Archery, combat, weight training, and climbing are just a few of the many skills she had to learn to do justice to the role. During one of the extensive training sessions, Jennifer Lawrence ended up hurting herself but being herself, she tried to brush it off.
Jennifer Lawrence Injured Herself in The Hunger Games
There were rumors that Jennifer Lawrence hurt her spleen during the training for The Hunger Games. While this is not entirely true, the actress definitely did get hurt. Clearing the air on Den of Geek, Lawrence stated that her words were misinterpreted adding what really happened on the set.
“I had to do 10 before I left for the day, and I was at maybe three or four, nothing even remotely exhausting, and I ran at the wall as hard as I could, and all of a sudden my feet were like ‘meh, no, not gonna do it, gonna stay down here. So I ran at the wall, jumped, and then hit the wall as hard as I possibly could have.”
This resulted in Lawrence plummeting to the ground, rolling around, and trying to put on a brave face.
“I obviously got winded, was rolling on the ground, and there were all these stunt guys around, so I’m trying to be like [thumbs up] and trying to act like I’m totally cool and not hurt at all. But obviously, [I] was unbelievably sore.”
As for her spleen, her “hypochondriac” trainer made her go for an MRI scan and everything turned out to be just fine. What we learn from the incident is that training for the films wasn’t a piece of cake. In fact, Lawrence’s co-star, Josh Hutcherson also got hurt when she accidentally kicked him on his temple, giving him a mild concussion.
Archery Changed Jennifer Lawrence’s Physique
We all loved the fact that Katniss opted for one of the most epic weapons on her quest – the bow and arrow. The scene in Catching Fire where she trains with the weapon for the first time is still worth a couple of rewatches and then some more! However, Lawrence obviously had to go through hours and hours of training with the bow and arrow and this permanently altered her body.
On an episode of NPR’s Fresh Air, the Mother actress stated,
“I really, really enjoyed archery. I had an amazing instructor, Khatuna [Lorig]. She was Georgian. She was an excellent instructor – very, very strict. If I had bad form, she would pinch my ear. She didn’t really put up with anything. It totally changed my body. It was so crazy, when I went back for the fitting for the second movie…my shoulders were two inches broader and my right arm is one inch longer than my left arm, permanently, I guess. But I really enjoy it.”
It looks like Lawrence took away more than just memories from her time in The Hunger Games franchise. Thanks to the dedication the actors and the crew put into the films, fans still go back for a rewatch after all these years!
You can stream all four of The Hunger Games movies on Hulu.
Source: Den of Geek
