By the time the first film in the franchise was released back in 2012,The Hunger Gamestrilogy of novels by author Suzanne Collins had already amassed more than 25 million book sales. With those kinds of numbers, it was always clear that the film franchise was destined to be a huge hit too.
The fourth novel, a prequel story titledThe Hunger Games:The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, was released in May 2020. By 2021, Lionsgate had already begun working on pre-production of a film based on the new book. If you missed the first waves of hysteria that followed this massive franchise’s every move, now might be the perfect time to catch up on the first four films and learn why this fascinating story and itsensemble cast of charactershave been so popular. Here’s a cast and character guide of the first four films to catch you up with whom the main characters are, and who the talented actors who played them were.
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen
The main protagonist of the franchise, Katniss Everdeen is a resident of District 12 which lives in poverty. She lives with her mother and twelve-year-old sister. Katniss is a keen hunter, using a bow and arrows as her weapon of choice. Even hunting is controlled, so she often has to conduct her activities in secret to avoid arrest.
Katniss is horrified when, not her, but her younger sister Primrose is chosen at a ceremony called the reaping as the female tribute from their district to take part in a brutal tournament to the death known as the Hunger Games. This deadly competition is run by the autocratic Capitol of the dystopian society they live in. Katniss volunteers in her sister’s place and thus becomes the female tribute from District 12. After being taken to the Capitol, she grows closer to the male tribute chosen from her district and the two look out for each other.
While she possesses some skills and is lethal with a bow, the odds are stacked against her in The Hunger Games since tributes from other districts are often bigger, stronger, or better trained to survive. From the beginning, Katniss reluctantly uses her training and the people assigned to her by The Capitol to craft her image for the televised portions of the games.
Despite being an underdog, by defying the odds, Katniss inadvertently becomes a symbol that sparks the idea of rebellion and a revolution to the overthrow the Capitol. However, the Capitol doesn’t fight fair, and they have all the power and resources so Katniss' status as a symbol of hope may not be enough to achieve this.
The iconic role is played byJennifer Lawrence. Lawrence was already a young actress on the rise, having appeared inX-Men: First Classthe year before. However,Lawrence’s role as the main characterinThe Hunger Gamescatapulted her to global stardom, and she’s been an A-lister ever since. 2012 proved to be a big year for Lawrence. Aside from being cast as Katniss, she also won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her role inThe Silver Linings Playbooklater that year.
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
Peeta Mellark was the son of a baker and previously proved to be a quiet character who just kept his head down. He knows Katniss from their days at school together and has always harbored a secret crush on her. He also once showed her a moment of kindness that kept her and her family from starving.
Peeta is chosen as the male tribute from District 12 and has to join Katniss in the Hunger Games. While she’s impulsive and rebellious, Peeta proves more measured and cunning. He catches on quicker to the fact the best chance of survival is to learn as much as they can from training and present a likable character to earn the admiration of viewers who can help them with gifts in the games.
Katniss and Peeta’s handlers and assistants from the Capitol devise a strategy to build an image around the two of them being a pair of star-crossed lovers to endear them to viewers. Peeta happily takes up this role and confesses during a televised interview to being in love with her. Katniss resists this plan but later goes along with it — all the while never knowing for sure if Peeta is simply playing The Hunger Games or really looking out for her. Peeta is strong and uses his training to master skills like camouflage to survive, but ultimately, he or Katniss may have to kill each other since only person can win the Hunger Games.
Peeta is played byJosh Hutchersonwho was already something of a child star from his time inJourney to the Center of the Earthand its sequel.The Hunger Gamesfilms raised his profile even more, andHutcherson has starred in many major projectsshows ever since.
Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne
A rebel like Katniss, Gale was previously her best friend and the pair often hunted together in District 12 before Katniss volunteered to take her sister’s place in the games. The pair initially share a lot of romantic tension and it’s uncertain whether Katniss and Gale may actually have feelings for each other.
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Gale is forced to helplessly watch on as Katniss and Peeta bond once they are sent away together to competein the Hunger Games. Since the games are televised, he has to watch their most intimate moments together in the arena, uncertain whether they really have fallen in love or are simply playing to the camera to endear themselves to viewers.
Gale is played byLiam Hemsworth, arguably the less famous brother of Chris Hemsworth, but still a major star in his own right. Liam’s career has seen him appear in huge films such asIndependence Day: Resurgenceand many others.
Woody Harrelson as Haymitch Abernathy
As one of the fewprevious winners of the Hunger Gamesfrom District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is something of a folk hero in his district. However, the years since he miraculously managed to survive and win the games haven’t been kind to him or his district. District 12 has never had a winner since Haymitch, and hesuffers from a kind of PTSDfrom his time in the games and the life he’s been forced to live after.
As a previous winner, he must serve the Capitol by acting as a mentor to new tributes from his District, training them and providing tips, insights, and a strategy to help them stay alive. Unfortunately, the many years of watching his tributes being killed have made him pessimistic. These days, he spends most of his time drunk and incoherent.
However, when he’s assigned Katniss and Peeta as tributes, he sees a spark in them and this rouses his old spirit. He does his best to help them despite his bumbling, drunken stupors and Katniss’s rebellious nature that makes her a hard person to teach. Nevertheless, Haymitch’s determination to fight the Capitol is reignited by Katniss’s endeavors, and he starts to become an increasingly important ally to her, and a member of the struggle against the Capitol that Katniss and Peeta help bring about.
The veteran starWoody Harrelsonshines in the role of Haymitch. Harrelson is probably best known for his role in the legendary sitcomCheersbut has since become one of the most celebrated and talented actors in Hollywood.Harrelson’s film and TV careerspans some 45 years and too many major movies to even mention. He’s been nominated for an Academy Award three times, including for Best Actor for his role inThe People v. Larry Flynt.
Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket
Effie Trinket is an administrator from the Capitol and one of the more complex characters in the franchise. Her role as an escort of the tributes leads her to being one of the central advisors and public relations persons for Katniss and Peeta. Effie, in some ways, represents everything that is hated about the Capitol. She’s prim and proper, dresses in lavish and outlandish outfits, has pink hair, and a face made up to clownish proportions.
She also insists that Katniss and Peeta act respectfully and tries to mold them to Capitol standards. Despite this, she’s ultimately a good person at heart and is firmly on their side, despite having high standards when it comes to fashion and etiquette.
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Effie is played byElizabeth Bankswho shines in the role and is almost unrecognizable behind Effie’s ridiculous looks. Banks is of course known for her many roles in major films, many of which were outlandish comedies likeZack and Miri Make a PornoandWalk of Shame.She’s also an accomplished director and producer. Having been the person behind the lens in thePitch Perfectfilms, she recently notably also directedthe hit filmCocaine Bear.
Lenny Kravitz as Cinna
Cinna is the personal stylist assigned to Katniss when she has to get ready for the public relations campaigns for her part in the Hunger Games. While his job was to create a fashionable look for her, he takes this role more seriously as he also uses it as a means of creating a persona around her that people can rally around.
Cinna is easily one of the most likable characters from the franchise. Aside from his soft-spoken, friendly, and encouraging personality, he’s also revealed to have been a previous supporter of old rebellion and therefore plays a huge part in helping Katniss become a symbol to spark the new movement.
In the process, he comes up with some amazing designs for her look and an iconic look that sees her literally wearing outfits that have live flames built into it. This leads to Katniss being known as “the girl on fire” and becomes the first way in which she and Peeta stand out from other tributes and rally support for themselves. Of course, the Capitol doesn’t take kindly to rebellious acts, so Cinna’s courageous acts also places him in danger with the ruling class.
Cinna is played by rock legend Lenny Kravitz, who owns the role with his well known eye for flamboyant style seamlessly blending into Cinna’s character. Aside from Kravitz’s status as the musical legend behind the cover of the song “American Woman” that became more famous than the original, he’s also made numerous appearances in TV shows and films such asZoolanderandPreciousin addition to being a four-time Grammy Award-winning singer. If you didn’t know it already, Kravitz is also the father of the now famous model and actress Zoë Kravitz, who has been in major films such asX-men: First ClassandThe Batman.
Donald Sutherland as President Coriolanus Snow
As the President of Panem, Coriolanus Snow is the ruler of the Capitol and the main antagonist of the franchise. He is known as an autocratic leader and scenes with him generally show him to be a conniving and ruthless leader who will use whatever means he can to crush resistance and the idea of revolution against the Capitol.
Given that Katniss sparks a new revolution among the districts, this places her in direct conflict with Snow and in a style reminiscent of many real-life dictatorships, she becomes an enemy of the State for standing up to it. We also learn that he’s done things like poison masses of people and has previously forced winning tributes into prostituting themselves to high-ranking officials of the Capitol.
Snow hates being defied and will do anything to cling onto power. In the up-coming filmThe Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesbased on the novel of the same name, Snow is one of the chief characters as the story acts a prequel that fleshes out the terrible events in his life that led to him gaining power and becoming as cruel and ruthless as he is.
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InThe Hunger Gamesfilms, President Snow is played byDonald Sutherland, who is a living legend that has been around the acting world since the ’60s. He’s appeared in over 90 films and many TV shows. While he’s one of the greatest actors who’s never won an Oscar, in 2017, he was honored with an Academy Honorary Award for his contributions to cinema.
Stanley Tucci as Caesar Flickerman
Caesar Flickerman is the host for all the televised portions of the Hunger Games. He’s a member of the Capitol but usually cuts a somewhat likable figure since he’s a consummate talk show host who always plays to the camera. He treats Katniss, Peeta, and all the tributes respectfully, and even goads people like Katniss out of their shells to hype up viewers into rallying behind them.
Like most of the residents of the Capitol, his style is in direct contrast to the lives of the residents of the districts. Caesar wears bright and bold colors, is known to change the color of his hair and lips, and generally dresses in very exaggerated styles that flaunt the excesses of the Capitol while the districts live in poverty.
He’s played byStanley Tucci, who is a very talented and celebrated stage and screen actor.Tucci has appearedin a huge array of films, shows, and theater productions. He’s also won five Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and has been nominated for an Academy Award. He’s also a quietly brilliant director, responsible for underrated gems likeBig NightandThe Impostors.
Wes Bentley as Seneca Crane
One of the more ruthless members of the Capitol, Seneca Crane is the head game maker for the 74th annual Hunger Games, which is when Katniss and Peeta first compete. As the lead designer and director of the games, Seneca is in charge of how the arena will look, what obstacles it will have, and can order changes as the contestants are competing.
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For example, when tributes are seen heading too far away from each and the games begins to bore viewers from a lack of action, Seneca will manipulate the arena by unleashing fires, or projectiles that herd contestants closer together, so fighting may be induced between them. While he starts of confident and smug, Katniss’s antics in the arena cause President Snow to place enormous pressure on him to ensure the games do not become a platform for rebellion to brew.
Seneca is played by Wes Bentley whose impressive acting career has seen him play recurring roles in hit shows likeAmerican Horror StoryandYellowstone.He’s also appeared in many major films such asGhost Riderand in blockbusters like Christopher Nolan’sInterstellar.
Amandla Stenberg as Rue
Rue is something of a tragic figure from the franchise. Playing a major part in the first book and film, she is one of the tributes from District 11. She is 12-years-old and therefore at an immediate disadvantage due to her age and size compared to other contestants. Despite this, she proves very smart and manages to outwit many of the older contestants.
From the beginning, she forms a bond with Katniss who can’t help but see her as a little sister figure. Katniss feels for Rue since she reminds her of her own sister but unlike, Primrose, did not have someone who took her place in the games. They help each other survive and Katniss protects her as much as she can. Rue is played byAmandla Stenberg. Stenberg has since appeared in other films likeThe Hate you Giveand is an outspoken activist voice for LGBTQ+ youth.
