Jennifer Lawrence reveals that she was pressured to lose weight for The Hunger Games

Jennifer Lawrence has revealed she was pressured to lose weight for her role in blockbuster movie franchise The Hunger Games.

The actress, now 32, starred as the sci-fi franchise’s leading lady Katniss Everdeen at aged 20 and has now admitted that weight was ‘the biggest conversation’.

Sharing that while the massive role was an ‘awesome responsibility’, the star also explained: ‘I remember the biggest conversation was, “How much weight are you going to lose?”‘.

‘It was the biggest conversation’: Jennifer Lawrence, 32, has revealed that she was pressured to lose weight for her breakout role in The Hunger Games trilogy (pictured last month)

In the franchise, which is based on novels of the same name, Katniss is a starved young woman trying to stay alive in a survival game – with film executives suggesting that Jennifer would need to slim down to match this.

In conversation with Viola Davis for Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’ series, Jennifer said: ‘In Hunger Games, it was an awesome responsibility. Those books were huge, and I knew that the audience was children.

Continuing: ‘I remember the biggest conversation was, “How much weight are you going to lose?”‘

Breakout star: In the franchise, which is based on novels of the same name, Katniss is a starved young woman trying to stay alive in a survival game (pictured in character in 2014)

Huge role: In conversation with Viola Davis for Variety’s ‘Actors on Actors’ series, Jennifer said: ‘In Hunger Games, it was an awesome responsibility. I remember the biggest conversation was, “How much weight are you going to lose?”‘

But despite feeling pressure from executives to lose weight, Jennifer stayed strong in her approach not to diet for the role for both herself and her young fans. 

The screen star added: ‘Along with me being young and growing and not able to be on a diet, I don’t know if I want all of the girls who are going to dress up as Katniss to feel like they can’t because they’re not a certain weight. And I can’t let that seep into my brain either.’

And touching on the subject previously, Jennifer has explained: ‘I’m never going to starve myself for a part’, as she has openly spoken about being against dieting.

‘I don’t diet. I do exercise! But I don’t diet. You can’t work when you’re hungry, you know?’ she previously told Glamour. 

Not giving in: But despite feeling pressure from executives to lose weight, Jennifer stayed strong in her approach not to diet for the role – for both herself and young fans watching

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Disciplined: Speaking to Vanity Fair on her role as a former ballerina in Red Sparrow, Jennifer explained that this was ‘the first time that I was really hungry, and disciplined. I can’t be in character as an ex-ballerina and not feel like an ex-ballerina’

While she was told to lose 15 pounds in two weeks for a role prior to starring in the Hunger Games role, which she again refused.

And speaking to Vanity Fair on her role as a former ballerina in Red Sparrow, Jennifer explained that this was ‘the first time that I was really hungry, and disciplined. I can’t be in character as an ex-ballerina and not feel like an ex-ballerina.’ 

Continuing that she did try to get into character by matching the diet but couldn’t stick to it, the star shared that she struggled to work hungry and would ‘freak out’ after eating ‘five banana chips’. 

Against: And touching on the subject previously, Jennifer has explained: ‘I’m never going to starve myself for a part’, as she has openly spoken about being against dieting (pictured in 2012)