The Hunger Games well on its way to No. 1 at the tills

MANILA, Philippines - In this year’s most anticipated movie, Academy Award nominee Jennifer Lawrence establishes herself as one of Hollywood’s hottest young actresses today.

Titled The Hunger Games it is directed by Gary Ross (Pleasantville, Seabiscuit) who considered her as the perfect choice to play the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, the girl who rises from the dust to become an iconic rebel heroine.

“During the auditions,” recalls Ross of meeting Lawrence, “I immediately felt I’ve found the one person who could possibly play Katniss. I’ve worked with many amazing actors but I think someone like Jen comes around once in a generation. She’s an unbelievable talent and she brings so many qualities that are raw and true to the character, from her natural athleticism to her emotional power. Honestly, I can’t imagine a version of this film without Jen.”  

On the other hand, Lawrence says that the one thing that instantly drew her into the depths of Katniss: “Her strength. I’m always drawn to strong characters, because I want to be like that. Katniss is a girl who has the whole world placed on her shoulders and she becomes a kind of futuristic Joan of Arc. I had so much respect for the books and who she is that there was nothing I wouldn’t do to bring that out on the right way.”

With a striking presence and undeniable energy, Lawrence recently wrapped production on David O. Russel’s The Silver Linings Playbook, alongside Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro. In April, she will be seen in Relativity’s House at the End of the Street opposite Elizabeth Sue and Max Thieriot. This past summer, Lawrence was seen in Matthew Vaughn’s X-Men First Class as Mystique and co-starred with Mel Gibson in The Beaver.

Previously, Lawrence’s performance in Winter’s Bone garnered her a 2011 Oscar nomination for Best Actress in addition to nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Independent Spirit Awards and Critic’s Choice Awards. Additionally, she was honored the Breakthrough Actress award by the National Board of Review and the Rising Star Award at the Palm Springs Film Festival. Lawrence’s other film credits include Like Crazy, Poker House and The Burning Plain with Charlize Theron and Kim Basinger.

Based on the best-selling books by Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games also stars Josh Hutcherson (Peeta Mellark), Liam Hemsworth (Gale Hawthorne) and Woody Harrelson (Haymitch Abernathy).

Filled with spectacular visual delights and never-before-seen action scenes, it is a must-see film for The Hunger Games book lovers, Twilight and Harry Potter franchises fans. Breaking records in advance ticket sales, The Hunger Games opens on March 22 in theaters worldwide.