When filming began on The Hunger Games in May 2011, Jennifer Lawrence, who was born in August 1990, was 20 years old. She was just a few months shy of her 21st birthday. Filming took place for several months, from May to September 2011. By the time the film was released in March 2012, Lawrence had already turned 21.
She is thin and not very tall, but is strong for her size from hunting to feed her family in the woods outside of District 12. Katniss is sixteen years old during the 74th Hunger Games, and seventeen years old during the Quarter Quell and the Rebellion.
Peeta is the same age as Katniss, making him 16 years old in The Hunger Games and 17-18 in Catching Fire and Mockingjay. Peeta is of "medium height, stocky build" and has "ashy blond hair that falls in waves over his forehead." He has blue eyes.
How old were the actors in the first Hunger Games?
Most notably, 19-year-old Josh Hutcherson portrayed Peeta Mellark, a 16-year-old character, while 12-year-old Amandla Stenberg played ill-fated 11-year-old Rue. Likewise, both Jack Quaid, who plays Marvel from District 1, and Alexander Ludwig, who portrays Cato from District 2, were 19 during shooting.
Liam Hemsworth starred as Gale Hawthorne, 18, Katniss' best friend from District 12. Gale despised the concept of the Hunger Games, which pitted 24 kids between the ages of 12 and 18 against each other until there was one sole survivor.
All Gale wants is to keep his family and those close to him safe. By the time he was 18 (the same year "The Hunger Games" takes place), he had put his name into the Reaping 42 times in order to gain extra food for his family and reduce the chance of his three younger siblings being chosen as a District 12 tribute.
Rue is the youngest tribute of the 74th Hunger Games, at only 12 years old. She is small and very smart, and survives the first few days in the arena by hiding in trees. She and Katniss become allies after Rue points out a Tracker Jacker nest, which Katniss avoids and then uses to take out several Career tributes.
How old was the youngest person to win the Hunger Games?
The 65th Hunger Games took place nine years prior to the start of the trilogy. They were won by Finnick Odair, the male tribute from District 4, when he was only fourteen years old, the youngest victor ever in the history of the Games.
As noted, District 2 having the most winners is important, as are the prominent winners from District 12. However, Finnick Odair is notable more than just being a main character as he is also the youngest winner in history, doing so at just 14.
Katniss Fell in Love With Peeta During the Quarter Quell
By then, they had gone through two games together. To Katniss, there was no one other than Peeta who could truly understand her nightmares and could protect her and soothe her.
Even in the epilogue of the Mockingjay novel, Suzanne Collins doesn't specify when Katniss dies, indicating she likely lives a long life while the world rebuilds following the Second Rebellion. Thus, the audience doesn't know how old Katniss is when she dies.
Effie Trinket's age is never specified—but we can assume she's somewhere between Haymitch's age and Cinna's, who's supposed to be in his early 30s. Actress Elizabeth Banks, who played Effie in the movies, was 39 years old when The Hunger Games came out, so it checks out.
Prim dies when she's only thirteen. She never got a chance to grow up and be a doctor. She was stuck between being a child and an adult, and had just started to find her wings. Prim's death reveals to Katniss an important truth.
In Mockingjay, it was revealed that President Snow sex trafficked Finnick to wealthy Capitol citizens and if Finnick refused, President Snow would kill somebody he loved.
While the Hunger Games film never talked about it, the Catching Fire novel explained why she could only communicate through hand gestures. Katniss briefly mentioned that a previous stroke could have caused Mags' garbled speech. However, post-traumatic stress disorder could have also caused her speech incapacity.
Mags Flanagan is a a victor of The 11th Hunger Games, and a tribute in the 3rd Quarter Quell. She won her Games at the age of 16, and is from District 4.
As the lone District 12 mentor for Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark, it was revealed that Haymitch won the annual Hunger Games event when he was just 16 years old.
It's a horrifying death, though Katniss puts him out of his misery when she sets off an explosion in the sewer to free him of his pain. At the time of Finnick's death, he was either only 24 or 25, making The Hunger Games loss even more devastating.
At the age of 16, Mags became the victor of the 11th Hunger Games. Her skill with fish hooks and other natural skills she likely acquired from living in District 4 probably played a role in her victory.
Peeta painted Rue's picture to hold the Gamemakers responsible for her death. Seneca Crane was the previous Head Gamemaker, who was executed for allowing two victors. Katniss painted his name on a dummy and hanged it to warn them that they're not safe and the same thing could easily happen to them.
Only children aged 12-18 are eligible to be reaped. When a child turns 19, they are officially ineligible to participate in the reaping and the Hunger Games. Similarly, past victors of the Hunger Games, even if they are still of reaping age, are exempt from further reapings.
Two weeks after he was crowned victor of the Second Quarter Quell, Haymitch's mother, younger brother, and girlfriend were all killed by President Snow because of the stunt that he pulled with the axe and force field, which was perceived as an act of defiance that made the Capitol look foolish.
