11 years after the first film you’ll never guess the transformations of The Hunger Games cast

I’m still convinced I’m going to marry Josh Hutcherson


It’s been over 11 years since the first The Hunger Games film released and made us all obsessed with wearing our hair in a side plait or buying the Mockingjay pin. Friendships were at stake depending on whether you were team Gale or Peeta. For many of the cast, it became the film series that elevated them firmly into Hollywood superstars, and they’ve all gone on to do amazing things. So, 11 years later let’s catch up on what the cast of The Hunger Games has been up to.

Jennifer Lawrence

Jennifer Lawrence was only 20 years old when she first played Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games. She’s since gone on to become a certified Hollywood star and is still the highest grossing action heroine of all time. She went on to win awards for Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle and Joy, before taking a break from acting in 2015. She then returned to our screens in 2021 with the Netflix film, Don’t Look Up, alongside Leonardo Dicaprio.

In 2019 she married art gallery director Cooke Maroney, and in February of 2022, Jennifer also became a mother giving birth to her son Cy.

Josh Hutcherson

Josh Hutcherson played the role of Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games. Josh was no stranger to the silver screen, having already starred in the heartbreaking Bridge to Terabithia as well as providing the motion for the boy in The Polar Express. Josh was only 18 when he starred as Peeta, and won three MTV Movie Awards and a People’s Choice Award as a result. His next big project will be the film adaptation of the popular video game Five Nights at Freddy’s.

In 2012 Josh became the youngest recipient of the Vanguard Award from GLAAD, which is given for promoting equal rights for LGBTQ+ people. Sadly though there’s no compairing of Josh then and now because he has literally fallen off the face of the earth and has no photos from any later than 2019.

Liam Hemsworth

Via Instagram @liamhemsworth

Liam Hemsworth played the role of Gale Hawthorn in the film series, having previously starred alongside his future ex wife Miley Cyrus in The Last Song. Since then Liam has most notably been announced to replace Henry Cavill as Geralt of Rivia in The Witcher season four.

Liam and Miley Cyrus married in December of 2018, but announced their divorce in 2019 with Liam citing irreconcilable differences. Miley Cyrus’ latest song Flowers has been suggested to be about Liam Hemsworth and their rocky relationship.

Woody Harrelson

Via Instagram @woodyharrelson

Woody Harrelson played the loveable Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games series, but already had a very established film career beforehand. He starred in the TV series Cheers and Frasier and appeared in the 2009 film Zombieland.

In 2022 he opened The Woods WeHo, a cannabis dispensary in California. He’s also been known to have a controversial past, having posted on Instagram in 2020 about a link between 5G networks and Covid-19, calling wearing facemasks “absurd”.

Elizabeth Banks

Via Instagram @elizabethbanks

Elizabeth Banks played the iconic Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games, adding another great character to her list. In 2012 she also played Gail Abernathy-McKadden in Pitch Perfect, making her directorial film debut with Pitch Perfect 2. Most recently she directed and produced Cocaine Bear.

Stanley Tucci

Stanley Tucci played the charismatic talk show host Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games. Stanley has played such a diverse range of characters it would be easy to not even realise he played Caesar. Stanley had previously starred in The Devil Wears Prada, Julie and Julia and the serial killer in The Lovely Bones.

In 2022 he hosted the CNN series Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy, and regularly posts cooking videos on Instagram and TikTok. He has also released a memoir about his experiences with cooking and was on the New York Times best seller list for over 18 weeks.

Donald Sutherland

Donald Sutherland stars in the role of President Snow in The Hunger Games series. He’s one of Canada’s highest acclaimed actors having been nominated for nine Golden Globe Awards, and an Emmy Award and is on both the Hollywood and Canadian Walk of Fame. His most recent project was in the 2022 Netflix film Mr. Harrigan’s Phone.

In 2017 it was revealed that Donald was on the National Security Watchlist between 1971 and 1973 because of his anti-war activities.

Wes Bentley

Wes Bentley plays Seneca Crane, the first The Hunger Games games maker with the most intricate beard design you’ve ever seen. After The Hunger Games he played Doyle in Interstellar, as well as appearing in Mission Impossible – Fallout and regularly appeared in multiple seasons of American Horror Story.

Jack Quiad

Via Instagram @jack_quiad

Who knew so many nepo babies were in The Hunger Games? Jack Quiad who plays Marvel in The Hunger Games is the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quiad. The Hunger Games was his acting debut, which isn’t too shabby at all, but he’s since risen to fame for his role as vigilante Hughie Campbell in The Boys, as well as Scream V. He’s also set to feature in Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film Oppenheimer.

Willow Shields

Via Instagram @willowshields

Willow Shields played Katniss’ little sister Primrose, and *spoiler alert* was tragically killed by the bomb strike in the final film, yet another reason to never be a Gale stan. Since then Willow has appeared in the film Into The Rainbow, and became the youngest ever Dancing with The Stars contestant, at age only 14, and finished seventh overall. In June of 2022 Willow also came out as bisexual via an Instagram post.

Amandla Stenberg

Via Instagram @amandlastenberg

Amandla Stenberg played Rue in The Hunger Games, and their death was one of the most heartbreaking in the series, and led to the start of the rebellion in Catching Fire. Their role won them the award of Best Chemistry in The Teen Choice Awards. Since then Amandla has starred in all kinds of projects, voicing Bia in Rio 2, starring in The Hate U Give, and Alana Beck in Dear Evan Hansen. In 2015, they made their musical debut as part of the folk-rock duo Honeywater. Their single, “Let My Baby Stay” was featured in the film Everything, Everything. In 2016 they came out as non-binary and in 2018 came out as gay.

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