laine bazzi: Jennifer Lawrence Talks Training To Play Katniss Everdeen In 'Hunger Games'

'I've done archery for about six weeks, rock climbing, tree climbing and combat and running and vaulting,' star tells MTV News.
By Kara Warner, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

Jennifer Lawrence
Photo: MTV News

For all the "The Hunger Games" fans out there — and we're talking about those who've been onboard since reading (and likely becoming obsessed with) author Suzanne Collins' spellbinding dystopian trilogy — the news surrounding Lionsgate's big-screen adaptation has been almost as intriguing as the books themselves.

MTV News has been hot on the trail of as many details we can muster, and we were lucky enough to chat recently with the young woman who will be Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence, about landing the coveted role.

"I was a huge fan of the books before I even really knew about the movies," Lawrence said. "I met with [director] Gary Ross, and we had a very long, nice meeting before the audition," she explained. "And then by the time the audition came around, we were familiar with each other."

Lawrence also spoke about the intense amount of training she's undergone to prepare for Katniss' intense action sequences.

"It's lots of training, but the training is actually really fun," she revealed. "I've done archery for about six weeks, rock climbing, tree climbing and combat and running and vaulting," she said. "Also yoga and things like that to stay cat-like."

The 20-year-old has also addressed the group of folks who took to the Internet to express their less-than-pleased opinions about Lawrence's casting as Katniss.

"I wasn't aware that everybody was so upset until I after I got my hair dyed, and people were like, 'Oh my gosh, blond hair can turn brown. Wow. It's a miracle,' " she joked. "So now is the only time that I'm being told that people hated me at first."

Check out everything we've got on "The Hunger Games."

For young Hollywood news, fashion and "Twilight" updates around the clock, visit HollywoodCrush.MTV.com.

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