Katniss and Gale and other mining families are described as having “straight black hair, olive skin; we even have the same gray eyes.” These traits are typical of the Melungeon, a marginalized mixed-race Appalachian community; recent DNA evidence reveals they were descended from escaped African-American slaves.
Despite the apparent insignificance of race, the film centers whiteness. For example, in the book, Katniss is described as having olive skin, gray eyes, and black hair, so the actor cast to play her could be mixed race, Latina, or Middle Eastern (to name a few possibilities).
Katniss, in the books, is olive-skinned with dark black hair, has the same skin tone as a black character (who resembles another black character, whose skin is “satiny brown”), and spends a while describing the community dynamics, power imbalance, and discrimination she faces as a Seam woman in contrast to her white ...
Katniss is first described in The Hunger Games as a thin young woman with dark hair, olive-toned skin, and gray eyes. In the first book, she is 16 years old. She is unremarkable in District 12, and some make fun of her for being scrawny and underfed.
She was cast in the prominent role of Rue, a young heroine in the first “Hunger Games” movie. As she was in the books, Rue is the soul of the Panem's rebellion. Rue is also black. Yet, when Stenberg was cast as the dark-skinned, brown-eyed character in the film, the Internet showed its ugly face.
Her breakthrough came at the age of 14, when she was cast as Rue in the 2012 film The Hunger Games. The film was a critical and financial success, and Stenberg's performance was praised. She received a number of awards and nominations, including a Black Reel Award nomination.
How she's described in the books: "Straight black hair" in a braid, "olive skin," "gray eyes," and "thin." Her hair, skin, and eye color are all shared by people from the Seam, the poor, coal-mining part of District 12.
It ranges from brownish or darker olive to moderate brown, typical Mediterranean skin tones. This skin type rarely burns and tans easily. Type V pigmentation is frequent among populations from the Middle East, parts of the Mediterranean, North Africa, parts of Latin America, and South Asia.
Katniss was dressed as an innocent young girl in a yellow dress that resembled candlelight to draw attention away from her rebellious actions. “When President Snow gave the crown to Katniss, he gave her a venomous look that let her know he would get revenge.”
Katniss is rendered deaf in one ear after she blows up the Careers' supplies, and she doesn't regain any hearing on her left side until afterwards when the Capitol gives her a hearing aid.
For one thing, Songbirds & Snakes is set 64 years before Katniss volunteers as tribute. That means there's probably a generation or two between Lucy Gray and Katniss if they are related. Fans also know who Katniss' mother is, so that rules out Lucy Gray being her mom.
Gale Hawthorne is Katniss Everdeen's best friend and hunting partner. In order to not cast suspicion on Katniss and Peeta Mellark's highly publicized strategic romance, Gale is presented as Katniss's cousin. He bears a resemblance to Katniss, which makes their cover believable.
Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson: Katniss' fellow District 12 tribute comes from a family of bread bakers, and his name is an alternate—or dystopic, if you will—spelling of pita. The humble Peeta stands in contrast to the grandiose Panem, which, as noted above, is Latin for bread.
Character List and Analysis Gale Hawthorne. Gale, Katniss' 18-year-old hunting partner, is well-liked by many girls in the District 12. When he first meets Katniss in the woods, he believes that her name is Catnip, and so this becomes his permanent nickname for her.
Katniss didn't really have the time to consider romance when she was worried about survival. When Peeta and Gale both made their feelings clear, Katniss wasn't entirely receptive despite caring for them both. In the end, her feelings for Peeta and Gale diverged, with Peeta ultimately winning her heart.
Characterization. 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.
Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing chaperone Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games film series (2012–2015) and an ICCA commentator in the Pitch Perfect film series (2012–2017).
And as several people have pointed out, author Suzanne Collins made it very clear indeed that Rue was dark-skinned (black, as opposed to the more ambiguous description of Katniss as "olive-skinned"), as was her co-tribute from District 11, Thresh.
Kudos to the stunt head. Jena Malone is no stranger to extreme hairstyles, but she'll let you in on a secret: That's actually a stranger's shaved head, not hers, that you're seeing in the new "Hunger Games" flick.
