Jennifer Lawrence Almost Turned Down The Hunger Games Due to Twilight Fandom

The Hunger Games star Jennifer Lawrence almost turned down the film after a brush with fandom.

During an interview with The Rewatchables podcast the Hollywood superstar revealed why the level of fame she saw with Twilight put her off taking a big franchise role.

“I almost didn’t do Hunger Games because Twilight had come out and that fandom had happened,” she revealed. “When I was trying to talk to people about making this decision after [‘Hunger Games’] got offered to me, it was hard to explain to people… this level of fame.”

It’s no secret Twilight landed with a bang — the five-film series earned a massive $3.3 billion. It also launched the careers of Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, and Taylor Lautner, who became household names after starring in the franchise. However, Lawrence didn’t want that level of fame.

“I assumed it was going to be the Twilight level of fame and that was never something I had in mind,” she explained. “I never wanted to be the most famous person on the planet. That’s a very different life than I pictured for me.”

Of course, that almost happened when Lawrence herself auditioned for the iconic vampire series. “I auditioned for Twilight,” she confirmed. “They turned me down immediately. I didn’t even get a callback. But my life would’ve been totally different. I got Hunger Games I think, like, a year later. It was probably after Winter’s Bone.”

Lawrence admitted she had to “churn out” films in between installments of The Hunger Games to make sure she was “not only known for this franchise”. “I was still in a franchise, so I was still trying to counteract the franchise-ness,” she said. However, she’s thankful that her career has reached a point where she no longer has to do that. “I’d still be doing that if I was in Twilight.”

The Hunger Games prequel The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes debuts November 17, 2023, however, Lawrence is reportedly not involved.

IGN’s The Hunger Games review gave it 8/10 and said: “The Hunger Games is a notable accomplishment, delivering on its source material and capturing the core elements that have helped the books stand out from other series aimed at the same demographic. Both fans of the books and those brand new to the story of Katniss Everdeen will find The Hunger Games compelling. With the first film proving the series is in good hands, I’m excited to see the next chapters play out onscreen.”

Want to read more about The Hunger Games? Check out the recent trailer for The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes as well as who’s been cast in the prequel movie.

Ryan Leston is an entertainment journalist and film critic for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.