Watch the Hunger Games Cast Grow Up Right Before Your Eyes
Copyright © ©Lions Gate/courtesy Everett Collecti / Everett Collection1/9It was only three years ago that the first Hunger Games movie stopped our hearts with ferocious arena battles, but it feels like a lifetime ago that we first met Katniss, Peeta, Gale, and the rest of the gang.
Now that the final installment of the trilogy, Mockingjay — Part 2 is about to hit theaters, let’s take a trip down memory lane to see what Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth looked like when they first shot to fame. A lot has changed over the past few years, both with their looks and their careers. The kids are all grown up now, and the Mockingjays are ready to leave the nest.
2/9Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss Everdeen)
Then: Just before The Hunger Games came out, Jennifer was nominated for an Oscar for Winter’s Bone, a drama that was very different from the YA series that launched her into superstardom.
Now: Not only does J.Law look very different now — thanks in part to an ever-changing hairstyle — but she has accomplished so much. She won an Oscar for Silver Linings Playbook, starred in multiple X-Men movies, and will write and star in a movie with Amy Schumer next.
3/9Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark)
Then: You may remember young Josh in movies like RV, Bridge to Terabithia, and Journey to the Center of the Earth, but he also popped up in a lot of random TV shows and movies early in his career.
Now: Even though The Hunger Games has been Josh’s main gig since 2011, he’s jumped around with different movies — from voicing Nod in Epic to the sequel to Journey with Vanessa Hudgens — and has In Dubious Battle with Selena Gomez up next. #SquadGoals.
4/9Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne)
Then: Remember Liam and Miley Cyrus? Of course you do. We first got to know the duo in The Last Song, and their IRL relationship (and engagement) lasted until 2013. Career-wise, he mostly worked on Australian TV shows like Neighbours.
Now: We’ve seen Liam in action movies like The Expendables 2 and Empire State with The Rock, thrillers like Cut Bank, and romances like The Dressmaker with Kate Winslet. And we can’t forget his adorable appearance on The Muppets TV show this year.
5/9Willow Shields (Prim Everdeen)
Then: Willow’s big break was The Hunger Games, and she was only 12 when the first movie came out.
Now: Our girl was the youngest contestant on Dancing With the Stars, and she made it seven weeks on the show with partner Mark Ballas. She recently signed on to a new movie called The Wonder. We can’t wait to see what else she has up next.
6/9Sam Claflin (Finnick Odair)
Then: Sam fell in love with a mermaid in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and was Snow White’s childhood bestie in Snow White and the Huntsman.
Now: Things got even scarier than the arena for Sam in The Quiet Ones, and he has The Huntsman — aka the Snow White sequel — up next. Maybe costarring with a Hemsworth is a role requirement for him, as he’ll share the screen with Liam’s brother, Chris. He also just announced that he and his wife, Laura, are expecting their first child. Aww!
7/9Jena Malone (Johanna Mason)
Then: Jena started her career young in Stepmom with Julia Roberts, and remained in the spotlight in movies like Donnie Darko, Saved!, Pride & Prejudice, and Sucker Punch.
Now: After finishing up The Hunger Games, Jena will be part of another huge franchise in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. She also makes music under both her own name and the band The Shoe.
8/9Amandla Stenberg (Rue)
Then: Amanda was only 13 when the first movie came out, and her only major movie credit was playing young Zoe Saldana in Columbiana.
Now: Amanda has done a lot in the past few years, including acting — she voiced Bia in Rio 2 and appeared on both Sleepy Hollow and Mr. Robinson — making folk music as part of the duo Honeywater, and writing *Niobi: She Is Life, * a comic book that follows an awesome elf teenager as she saves the world.
9/9
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