What The Cast Of The Hunger Games Looks Like Today
If you were around for the zeitgeist of "The Hunger Games" franchise, both books and movies, then you probably already know how it arguably redefined the dystopian genre. While it was marketed and sold for a young adult audience — likely because of the central love triangle — this is a story that deals with many serious subjects, such as grief, poverty, abuse of power, and more.
An adult revisiting this universe might pick up on commentary and allegories they might not have noticed at first: Slavery, late-stage capitalism, and unrealistic beauty standards, all things that our society struggles with, are perhaps even more insidious in this world. It also has fascinating world-building that pulls you in from the start.
With the recent theatrical release of the series prequel movie, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," the story of President Snow's rise to power, we thought it would be a good opportunity to look back on what the cast of the original series is doing today.
Jennifer Lawrence went full frontal
After "The Hunger Games" was first released, Jennifer Lawrence's star rose pretty fast, but with that came a lot of scrutiny. In 2014, the year "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1" was released, the actor suffered a huge invasion of privacy when hackers leaked her nude photographs. In an interview with Vanity Fair about the incident, she said, "Just because I'm a public figure, just because I'm an actress, does not mean that I asked for this." Lawrence has also received a lot of unwarranted hate — look up her name and "cringe" on a search engine and you'll find tons of results, potentially explaining why she's rarely on social media.
Over the past few years, however, Lawrence's career slowed down a bit, with the actor taking on fewer projects with less visibility, allowing her to step away from the spotlight. During this time, she was getting to know and eventually marrying her spouse, Cooke Maroney, with whom she had one child. Earlier this year, the Oscar winner shocked many of her fans, however, when she appeared fully naked in her latest project, the R-rated comedy "No Hard Feelings." According to Screen Rant, Lawrence was enthusiastic about it, likely because it meant regaining agency over her own body.
After taking it slow, Lawrence seems ready to get back into the swing of things, with five upcoming projects in various stages of production, so we'll be seeing a lot more from her yet.
Josh Hutcherson felt naïve about the series' impact
Though Josh Hutcherson had already been acting for a long time before getting cast in "The Hunger Games" as the lovable Peeta Mellark — most memorably his performance in "Bridge to Terabithia" alongside AnnaSophia Robb — it wasn't until the franchise's huge success that he fully understood the weight of that level of fame. "It's like a double-edged sword," he told Entertainment Weekly in a 2020 interview. "It made me realize the kind of actor I wanted to be," Hutcherson said, explaining that he went into the project very naively. "If that opportunity came up again, I would have to think about it more."
Hutcherson has been in many projects since the last installment of the series was released, including three seasons of Hulu's original series, "Future Man," and a voiceover gig for the Netflix anime series "Ultraman." In 2023, he starred in Blumhouse's "Five Nights at Freddy's" which, despite not having the best ratings, was the highest-grossing project for the studio. According to Collider, the movie's director has already expressed an interest in making a sequel.
Hutcherson has shown no interest in taking a step back from his career and, as of 2023, the actor has five upcoming projects set to be released in the next few years. In his personal life, Hutcherson prefers to keep things quiet but has been with his girlfriend, Spanish actor Claudia Traisac, since 2013.
Liam Hemsworth got married — and then divorced
Besides his role as Gale in "The Hunger Games," Liam Hemsworth is also known as Chris Hemsworth's little brother and Miley Cyrus' ex-husband. The actor and the singer met while filming the 2009 film adaptation of Nicholas Sparks' "The Last Song," and were together for a decade — getting married in secret in 2018 and separating less than a year later. Though Cyrus has spoken out about their divorce, Hemsworth has kept to himself.
He started dating model Gabriella Brooks not long after the separation was announced, sparking rumors after he was photographed introducing her to his parents in December 2019. Recently, the couple was photographed together in Abu Dhabi on what appears to have been a Hemsworth family vacation, as his brothers, Chris and Luke, were also featured in some of the posts he shared from the trip.
As for Hemsworth's career, he's taken on a few projects in the past few years, including the comedy "Isn't It Romantic" opposite Rebel Wilson, released in 2019. Following the announcement that Henry Cavill would be stepping down as Geralt of Rivia for Netflix's screen adaptation of "The Witcher," Liam Hemsworth was announced as the "Superman" star's replacement. However, the choice has been met with plenty of controversy among fans of the series. Season 4 of "The Witcher," set to be his debut in the role, has yet to receive a release date.
Elizabeth Banks is very confident in herself
Elizabeth Banks is incredibly multifaceted: Between acting, singing, directing, and producing, there's not much that she can't do. After bringing the iconic Effie Trinket to life in "The Hunger Games," Banks released the first "Pitch Perfect" film — which she produced and appeared in — that same year to great success. Both franchises are beloved by fans worldwide, with the actor reprising her role in every installment and even directing "Pitch Perfect 2." That isn't Banks' first foray on the other side of the camera, however, with smaller titles under her belt and 2023's release of "Cocaine Bear."
This same year, she also worked on Illumination's animated film "Migration" as the voice of Pam. In an interview with Today, Banks talked about the movie saying, "It's about leaving the nest, literally. It just has a great, beautiful, fun, sweet message inside of it." In 2023, she has upcoming projects on all fronts, including another directing gig, and she's showing no signs of losing steam any time soon.
In a recent interview with Us Weekly, the actor spoke about never having gotten Botox. "I try and focus on my confidence and less on how I look," she told them, adding, "Most people do it and truly, there's no judgment" (via People). Banks has also spoken to People about letting go of mom guilt and learning to trust her children as they get older, something most mothers can relate to.
Woody Harrelson opened a dispensary
Speaking of people who can do it all, Woody Harrelson's credits are as impressive as they are varied. Since playing the role of lovable rogue Haymitch Abernathy in the screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' world-famous novels, Harrelson has kept himself busy. He made his directorial debut with "Lost in London," executive produced titles like the animated short "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" and "True Detective," and snagged plenty of acting roles.
Highlights include the first season of "True Detective," in which he acted opposite real-life best friend Matthew McConaughey (and before you ask, no, they aren't actually half brothers). According to McConaughey, his mother was the one who came up with that whole story (via Access Daily). But like McConaughey, Harrelson has been in other successful projects, such as the "Now You See Me" and "Venom" franchises, "Solo: A Star Wars Story," and the sequel to "Zombieland."
The Emmy award-winner is also set to star in a stage production of "Ulster American" at London's Riverside Studios between December 2023 and January 2024 alongside Andy Serkis and Louisa Harland. In his personal life, Harrelson has been an avid cannabis activist and even opened his own dispensary in West Holywood in May 2022.
Stanley Tucci is a delightful cook
Stanley Tucci was already well-known and beloved before taking the role of Caesar Flickerman in "The Hunger Games," with credits like "The Devil Wears Prada," "Easy A," and "Captain America: The First Avenger." However, the actor's charming performance as the gameshow host has endeared him to many as a pop culture icon.
And while he hasn't stepped away from his acting career, Tucci has seen a new level of popularity since garnering an online following thanks to cooking videos shared on his social media. Commenters have given the actor somewhat of a sex symbol status. When asked if his wife gets jealous, he told "Today with Hoda & Jenna," "No, I wish she would! She couldn't care less."
The videos — which started with him sharing a negroni recipe during the pandemic — have given Tucci a lot of new opportunities, including cooking shows, a cookware line with Greenpan, and even leaving Robert Downey Jr. speechless.
Lenny Kravitz is still a rockstar
Best known for his career as a rock musician and generally still considered a cool 'it guy' despite being nearly 60, Lenny Kravitz hasn't done that much acting. That being said, even out of his element Kravitz's magnetic charm still managed to steal the show every time his character, fashion designer Cinna, appeared onscreen in "The Hunger Games."
He has continued to release new music in the past decade —with a new album due to be released soon — and picked up a few more acting gigs here and there, most recently appearing alongside Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy "Shotgun Wedding." The father of "The Batman" star Zoë Kravitz with ex-wife Lisa Bonet, the performer recently told E! News of her engagement to actor Channing Tatum, "I love him. He's a great guy. We're very close, and we have a great line of communication."
Kravitz was also invited by producer Bruce Cohen to write a song for Netflix's biopic "Rustin," based on Bayard Rustin, a figure from the Civil Rights movement the musician told Variety he was "disturbed" to have never heard of. He added that he dropped everything to hear the story because "I knew immediately that this was something that I needed to do." The film was released on the streaming platform in November of 2023.
Amandla Stenberg prefers they/them pronouns
Amandla Stenberg made their film debut alongside Zoe Saldaña in 2011's "Colombiana," but it was their portrayal of Rue in "The Hunger Games," whose death becomes a symbol of the revolution, that really put the actor on the map. Since then, Stenberg has been in big-screen adaptations of "Everything, Everything," "The Hate U Give," and Broadway's "Dear Evan Hansen."
In 2022, they starred alongside Rachel Senott and Pete Davidson in the comedy horror "Bodies Bodies Bodies," but acting is not Stenberg's only creative pursuit. Among other things, they've kept busy creating music, co-authoring a comic book, and getting involved with behind-the-scenes production.
The actor has been very open about identity and trauma throughout their career, sharing in an interview with People, "I've said before that I'm comfortable with using the pronouns 'they' or 'them' alongside 'she' and 'her' just because that's a conversation that's important to me." Stenberg also lent their voice to the #MeToo movement with a heartfelt essay in Teen Vogue about her own experiences. They are set to star in Disney's upcoming "Star Wars: The Acolyte," and recently became the new jewelry ambassador for Chanel.
Willow Shields is an incredible photographer
Though Willow Shields had already been in a few projects before landing the role of Primrose Everdeen in "The Hunger Games," it was the franchise that helped launch her career, keeping her busy with four films being shot back to back. And while she hasn't had another gig with this many eyes on it since, the actor hasn't been out of work either.
Since 2017, she has been in three movies, including "Into the Rainbow" and "When Time Got Louder," and she's had recurring roles in the TV shows "The Unsettling" and Netflix's ice skating drama "Spinning Out." Shields also has two upcoming projects, "A Fall From Grace" and "Infidelity," and occasionally shares snippets of her singing talents on Instagram.
Beyond acting, she is also a talented photographer and self-proclaimed feminist. In a 2017 interview with Teen Vogue about her portraits, Shields credited her parents for encouraging her creative pursuits, saying, "My dad is a documentary film maker and I've grown up in a very artistic environment ... which is something that I'm truly grateful for at this point in my life." Earlier in 2023, she shared a nude photo of herself on social media after getting blackmailed over it. "I'm taking back the control and sharing it with you first," she wrote in the caption.
Donald Sutherland has been turned into a stamp
Donald Sutherland has become a Hollywood staple throughout his career, with 200 credits to his name spanning as far back as 1962. These days, though, it's hard to separate him from his iconic performance as "The Hunger Games'" antagonist, the authoritarian President Coriolanus Snow. But when he first received the script, Sutherland had never even heard of the books.
"My agent sends me these things because I'm 80 and I still like to know what's going on," he told The Telegraph. "It was the first thing I'd read in years that could become a creative political stimulus for young people." And though he isn't getting any younger, Sutherland shows no sign of slowing down, with three new releases in 2023 including a recurring role in the mini-series "Lawmen: Bass Reeves."
The Canadian actor received his Walk of Fame star in 2011, but he's been in dozens of projects since, including the upcoming post-apocalyptic thriller "Heart Land." Among the many other distinctions he has received for his contributions to entertainment, including an honorary Oscar, he was recently featured on a Canada Post stamp. Speaking to CBC about the honor, Sutherland said, "When you're 88 years old — very nearly 89 — it means a lot, a stamp, because we grew up writing letters.... The stamp for me is everything, just everything!"
Jack Quaid is a rising star
If Jack Quaid looks familiar to you, that's probably for a good reason, as he is the only son from '90s rom-com darling Meg Ryan's marriage to Jack Quaid. But don't let his mother hear you call him a "nepo baby" — in an interview with Glamour, Ryan said, "He's more of a natural than I'll ever be. That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege."
In an interview with People, the actor himself shared, "I grew up with friends who also had parents in the industry, so it didn't really feel different. But then you grow up, and you realize that's a pretty unique thing, that not one but two of your parents are actors." Quaid, who made his acting debut as one of "The Hunger Games'" career tributes, Marvel, has been in over 50 projects since.
It wasn't until 2019 that he became well-known, however. After getting cast as Hughie Campbell in Prime original "The Boys" opposite Karl Urban, other opportunities soon followed, including parts in "Scream 6," "Oppenheimer," and a recurring role across the "Star Trek" TV universe.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is sadly no longer with us
Philip Seymour Hoffman was already a beloved actor by the time he joined "The Hunger Games'" ensemble in the second movie of the franchise, having starred in cult classics such as "Boogie Nights," "The Big Lebowski," and "Almost Famous," among others. The screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' universe, however, was Hoffman's final acting job.
After struggling with drug addiction as a young man, the actor managed to get sober but relapsed in 2012. He died of an accidental drug overdose in February 2014, according to the autopsy reports. Hoffman's death came in the middle of filming the series' last installment, though luckily most of his scenes were already filmed. "I just think to try to fake a Philip Seymour Hoffman performance would have been catastrophic and I would never want to do that," the film's director Francis Lawrence told HuffPost of his decision to reassign the missing scenes to other characters in place of using CGI.
Sam Claflin is super versatile
British actor Sam Claflin's big break came when he was cast as Philip in "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," the fourth installment in the popular Disney franchise. That same year, he also starred alongside Chris Hemsworth and Kristen Stewart in "Snow White and the Huntsman," and his star has been on the rise ever since.
Not long after, Claflin got the role of heartthrob and Hunger Games victor Finnick Odair in "The Hunger Games," and since then has enjoyed roles across many genres. From romantic movies like "Love, Rosie" and "Me Before You," period pieces like "The Nightingale" and "Enola Holmes," and dramatic series like "Peaky Blinders" and "Daisy Jones & The Six," Claflin has proven himself to be quite a versatile actor.
In 2023, Claflin is acting in the first season of a TV adaptation of "The Count of Monte Cristo" and has taken an executive producer role in Ian McKellen's upcoming short film "The One Note Man." In an interview with The Los Angeles Times, Claflin also discussed his ideas for a second season of "Daisy Jones & The Six" and spoke fondly of his character, saying, "It's hard to know whether it was Billy and this project that changed me, or whether I changed before doing this project."
Jena Malone is conquering her traumas
Starting as a child actor in the '90s, Jena Malone's first recognizable project was alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in "Donnie Darko," though she has been in other popular movies, including opposite "The Hunger Games" co-star Donald Sutherland in 2005's film adaptation of "Pride & Prejudice." Malone joined the "Hunger Games" cast as Johanna Mason in the second installment, though her experience was bittersweet.
The actor took to social media in 2023 to share how she was sexually assaulted while filming "Catching Fire." In her Instagram caption, Malone wrote, "I was so full of gratitude for this project, the people I became close with and this amazing part I got to play ... I wish it wasn't tied to such a traumatic event for me." Despite the upheaval, the "Sucker Punch" star didn't let it slow her down.
Since 2014, she has kept busy with projects such as "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," "Nocturnal Animals," and starring in Zack Snyder's two-part space epic "Rebel Moon." Portraying an arachnoid alien called Harmada, her performance in that last role was described as "unsettling" by Vanity Fair.
Mahershala Ali is a very engaging actor
Mahershela Ali was launched to fame for his 2016 roles in "Moonlight," for which he won an Oscar for best supporting actor, and Marvel's "Luke Cage" as the first season's antagonist, Cornell 'Cottonmouth' Stokes, but his talent is super versatile. Over the last few years, he's had recurring roles in multiple acclaimed TV series, like "True Detective" and "Ramy," been in dramas, action-packed blockbusters, and animated movies, and even lent his voice to video games.
In 2019, Marvel announced they would be rebooting the "Blade" franchise with Ali playing the title role, but the project's fate has been dubious from the start. Amid pandemic delays and having to replace the director along the way, the film was pushed to September 2024. "We're working on it," he told Entertainment Weekly, adding, "I'm really encouraged with the direction of the project. I think we'll be back at it relatively soon."
In the meantime, he's remained part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with a role in the animated Miles Morales "Spider-Man," and his newest movie, "Leave the World Behind," was recently released on Netflix. His role in "The Hunger Games" may have been a small one, but Ali's obvious talents are finally getting the spotlight they deserve.
Natalie Dormer is a child safety advocate
After a charming breakout performance as Victoria in the film "Casanova" alongside Heath Ledger, Natalie Dormer's career has had some starts and sputters. Fans of historical dramas might recognize her from the critically acclaimed TV series "The Tudors," where she starred as Anne Boleyn opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII. Others may remember her as Moriarty and Irene in CBS' "Elementary" or, of course, as Cressida in "The Hunger Games" series.
It was "Game of Thrones," however, that first gave Dormer some notoriety, after appearing in several seasons as the cunning Margaery Tyrell. Since then, she has done some voiceover work for "Mass Effect: Andromeda," starred in a handful of films, and had recurring roles in the mini-series "Picnic at Hanging Rock" and "Penny Dreadful: City of Angels."
Dormer took a hiatus from acting in 2020, though she kept busy with her activism work as NSPCC's Ambassador for Childline in the meantime. After a two-year break, however, Dormer was announced as the lead in the upcoming TV series "White Lies," which was filmed in 2023 and is in post-production at the time of writing. She also has two movies set to be released: "The Wasp" and "Audrey's Children."
Julianne Moore won an Oscar
Julianne Moore is another actor in "The Hunger Games" movies' star-studded cast who has had a long career in Hollywood, having made her entertainment debut in the mid-'80s. She's also appeared in other world-famous franchises like "Jurassic Park," shared the screen with her late co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman on many occasions, and won an Oscar for best leading actress for her role in "Still Alice."
The actor also received multiple awards for her portrayal of Sarah Palin in "Game Chance," though she claimed on "Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen" that the effort to recreate Palin's voice almost killed her. "I listened to nothing else for months on end," she explained. "I took all the music off my phone and just listened to her voice constantly ... And I literally did nothing. I didn't go out. I just spent all of my time kind of studying it."
In 2023, Moore starred in Netflix's "May December" alongside Natalie Portman and "Riverdale" rising talent Charles Melton in a role not-quite-subtly inspired by Mary Kay Letourneau. "I think Gracie is someone who's swallowed feminine culture and ideology whole," she told Advocate Channel of her character. "She's done something that's so different, so transgressive, there's this chasm in who she is and how she presents."
Jeffrey Wright can finally relate to one of his characters
Though he had a lot of acting experience under his belt by the time he was cast as the tactical Beetee in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire," it would be another few years before Jeffrey Wright would get the part he has become better known for, the morally-conflicted Bernard Lowe in HBO's critically acclaimed series, "Westworld."
Still, Wright has been involved in plenty of other successful projects. He's lent his voice to "The Last of Us: Part II," as well as other voice acting projects for both Marvel and DC series, acted in Wes Anderson's films "The French Dispatch" and "Asteroid City," 2021's Bond film "No Time to Die," and appeared opposite Robert Pattinson in "The Batman."
His latest movie release as of this writing was "American Fiction" in 2023, a project the actor truly felt he could relate to. In an interview with IndieWire, Wright spoke of how the shift in balance between a caretaker and their charge can radically change someone's life when those roles are reversed, adding, "That's the driving thread of this film. It's not the social commentary and the satire, which is wonderful, but for me, the core of it is the story of a man and his relationship to his family. In some ways, that's the most radical aspect of the film."