Let’s be honest: the unveiling of what Jennifer Lawrence would look like in full costume as Katniss in the upcoming film The Hunger Games was just a little something to hold us over. Most fans of the series really just care about Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) and Gale (Liam Hemsworth).
Entertainment Weekly has released the first sacred image of the two male leads and they look just about as good as they could. Readers of the books know that in reality, Hutcherson and Hemsworth really look nothing like the characters described. Peeta is blonde and pudgy; Gale is scrawny and dark-skinned. However, it looks like the two young actors are going to pull it off.
I’ve always thought that Josh Hutcherson was perfect for the role. He typically plays warm characters, and Peeta’s strongest trait might be his compassion. Perfect for Hutcherson, who was getting kudos from critics for The Kids Are All Right in the days before his casting in The Hunger Games.
As for Liam Hemsworth, he hasn’t done much besides co-star with Miley Cyrus in The Last Song and date her in real life. It’s hard to say how well he could embody Gale, who is very ambitious and soulful. Regardless, he won’t spend much time in the adaptation of The Hunger Games, the first book in the trilogy, unless the script changes up the book’s story dramatically.
The only thing that startles me about this picture is how old the characters look, when they are supposed to be teens in the book. The actors that have been cast though are all a bit older so Hutcherson and Hemsworth will likely fit in.
Check out the photo below and let us know what you think. How do they look?
