Comments on: Playing a part

By: Matt

Matt — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:53:18 +0000

I like the Jennifer Lawrence choice. Her character in Winter’s Bone struck me as having several similarities to Katniss: survival instincts, woodland skills, fiercely protective of younger family members and a mom with issues, resilient. And if you’ve seen that movie, you’ve seen how her appearance can transform compared to the “California beach girl” photos of her real self.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:50:57 +0000

I have read that that’s a big part of people’s problem with the casting. Jim and I actually discussed this last week, and he didn’t remember the description either. I actually remember their being one early on that I suspected was intended to imply that Katniss is a person of color. As I recall, the description doesn’t explicitly exclude her being, say, Italian American, but the way it was written signaled to me that it was supposed to be saying something important about her race. I remember it because it read to me as if it was making an important point, rather than simply describing the character, and therefore must be setting up some sort of racial theme for the book, but that ended up not being the case. (Not that that’s a complaint–if I wasn’t misreading, it’s refreshing for it to be just a thing that happens to be the case with no bearing on anything.)

I’ll have to find that in my copy of the book at home to see if my recollection is accurate!

Certainly, if the character is specifically supposed to be of color, it could be seen as a squandered opportunity for a young actress who, due to her race, might not otherwise be afforded as many chances to open a big film as Jennifer Lawrence is.

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:20:29 +0000

Interesting that actresses so young were considered, since Katniss is supposed to be 16, right?

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:19:27 +0000

I love that movie, and Edward Norton is brilliant in it! (I’m sure Gere is, too, but his performance didn’t really stick with me.)

By: Lauren

Lauren — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:18:26 +0000

I’ve not actually seen either, but did she just strike you as perfect for one role and not the other?

By: Ciara

Ciara — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 12:37:40 +0000

I think some of the disappointment with casting is that a lot of people assumed that Katniss was a person of colour. her description was vague but a lot of people i’ve heard complaining online feel that it’s whitewashing. I enjoyed the hunger games but i don’t really recall the descriptions of katniss so I don’t know how accurate it is.

By: Ryan Field

Ryan Field — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 23:42:20 +0000

This may be slightly off topic, but I was half disappointed in “Julie & Julia” with regard to how the film was executed. I wanted more Julia and much less Julie. Merele Streep was spectacular and each scene about Julia Child was excellent, from the car she drove to the Paris flat she lived in. But I honestly became annoyed with the way the film moved back and forth, between Julie and Julia, giving them equal time. It annoyed me, and I wasn’t the only one.

Is this unfair? Yes. The film was about Julie and her blog, not Julia. But Merele Streep playing Julia Child is a tough act to follow for anyone. And, sadly, this film cheated us out of Merele Streep playing Julia in a future biopic.

By: Rowenna

Rowenna — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 12:39:20 +0000

It seems every comment I read from someone who’s seen Lawrence in a film is pretty positive–I think part of the outcry comes from her publicity shots, which all scream “California beach day w/ afterparty at trendy club.” She’s a lovely girl, but most photos I’ve seen don’t precisely fit the look I think most people envision for Katniss. But hey–transformation for the cameras is a big element in Hunger Games, so I suppose we can hope it will be the case here, too.

By: Gilbert J. Avila

Gilbert J. Avila — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:24:06 +0000

The casting of a 20 year-old was a matter of practicality. Hailee Steinfeld was in the running, and Chloe Grace Moritz was also interested in the role, but as they are 14 and 12 respectively there would have been a problem with child labor laws, since Katniss is in nearly every scene and kids are limited in the amount of hours they could work per day. Also, there would have to be an on-set tutor for the minor girls, which would also have added to production time.

By: L.C. Gant

L.C. Gant — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 23:39:50 +0000

This doesn’t quite fit with books, but it does illustrate your point about casting. My family and I were die-hard fans of the Airbender cartoon series on Nickelodeon, so when we heard they were making a live-action version, we were thrilled.

Unfortunately, the casting for that movie was like something out of my worst nightmares. Even without all of the whitewashing controversy (or “racebending,” as fans of the series called it), the actors were just God-awful. Seriously, painfully God-awful. There’s a reason the movie won all the Razzie awards last year.

I haven’t read the Hunger Games trilogy yet, but I know enough about it to see why fans are up-in-arms about this. Casting really can (and often does) make or break a film, and I can’t think of anything worse than having your favorite book desecrated by a bad film adaptation.