Entertainment
11 Actresses Who Auditioned For The Role Of Katniss Everdeen Before Jennifer Lawrence Got the Part
The new trailer for Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part I just hit the Internet and the world collectively freaked out. It's not a surprise that everyone is psyched to see the latest film in the mega franchise — star Jennifer Lawrence proved herself as the ultimate movie heroine as Katniss Everdeen, and I can't wait to see Lawrence's Everdeen start her journey to defeat the Capitol once and for all.
Lawrence may make the movie, but she wasn't the only contender for the role of the Hunger Games champion. Here are the 11 other actresses who had a shot at the role.
Abigail Breslin
The My Sister’s Keeper star proved she can move people to tears, but she didn’t land the role of the Mockingjay, despite auditioning and wanting the role.
Emily Browning
According to MTV, the star of The Uninvited and Sucker Punch auditioned for the lead roles in two major franchises: The Hunger Games and Twilight.
Saoirse Ronan
The star of Stephanie Meyer’s sci-fi flick The Host could have toughed it out in the games as Katniss, according to Entertainment Weekly.
Shailene Woodley
Woodley would go on to play action heroine Tris in Divergent, but according to Entertainment Weekly the actress also had a good shot at playing Katniss. Woodley’s pal Lawrence got the role instead, and Woodley has said that it was Lawrence’s advice that encouraged Woodley to take the lead role in Divergent.
Kaya Scodelario
Scodelario is best known for playing the mysterious bad girl Effie on the hit E4 series Skins and was a fan favorite for Katniss from the beginning. She didn’t snag the role, but she did get a part in futuristic YA adaption The Maze Runner, out later this year.
Chloe Grace Moretz
Moretz, who was 13 at the time of auditions, stated that she loved the books and wanted the role. She auditioned for the part but lost out to older actress Lawrence.
Lyndsy Fonseca
Nikita star Fonseca got pretty far in the audition process for Katniss — she told MovieLine that she met with director Gary Ross and read for him when it was down to just a few actresses. She definitely had the physical capabilities to take on the role, as seen by her role as Alex on the CW spy series.
Hailee Steinfeld
Steinfeld had just come off of her Oscar nomination for True Grit when she was asked to audition for The Hunger Games, the young actress confirms to ScreenRant.
Malese Jow
The Star-Crossed actress had fans campaigning for her to get the role of Katniss in The Hunger Games and wanted an audition. It’s unclear as to whether Jow had the chance to audition for the part, but she did tweet an awfully cryptic message about “letting the games begin” in the weeks following her fan campaign.
Emma Roberts
According to Entertainment Weekly, the American Horror Story star auditioned for Everdeen as well, and even though she wasn’t right for the lead, the casting directors really missed an opportunity to cast Roberts as a tribute. We’ve seen her scary knife skills in Scream 4 and her viciousness as Madison in American Horror Story: Coven.
Isabelle Fuhrman
The Orphan star snagged the role of tribute Clove in first film, but that wasn’t the role the young actress originally wanted. She admitted to MTV that she begged director Gary Ross to cast her as Katniss, and even was able to convince him to let her audition for the part. Unfortunately, at 14, Fuhrman was simply too young to be a convincing Katniss — but she did have a great time playing Clove.
