"The Hunger Games" was originally a series of young adult fantasy novels before being adapted into a successful film series. The Suzanne Collins trilogy is set in a fictional society divided into districts. In that world, two unfortunate kids from each district are made to participate in "The Hunger Games." It's an annual competition that forces participants to fight the others in a survival battle.
Because it was a huge hit for both teens and adults, it was no surprise that the series was made into a high-budget film series.
Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Josh Hutcherson, and Donald Sutherland were just a few of the well-known actors who appeared in the franchise. Unquestionably, the movie series' production design was outstanding. However, when it came to producing on-screen versions of our favorite characters from the books, the makeup and casting teams undoubtedly made some changes. This list illustrates how the characters in "The Hunger Games" should have looked based on the book's descriptions.
Scroll down and enjoy! You may be surprised to see their "real" appearance.
#1 Katniss Everdeen
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Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen wore an elaborate braid to manage her long, brown hair, just like she did in the books, and she embodied the so-called "Seam style" with olive-toned skin, dark straight hair, and modest attire typical of her life in one of Panem's less desirable districts. She wasn't quite as small or gaunt as the Girl on Fire, though, and it was one of the most noticeable variations in her look.
#2 Cinna
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Lenny Kravitz chose to keep his natural chocolate brown eyes for the movie and decided to put some facial hair and earrings on top. In the novels, Katniss's fantastic stylist Cinna was described as having green eyes with gold flecks.
#3 President Alma Coin
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Julianne Moore portrays President Coin as a middle-aged lady with wig-like gray hair. In the "Hunger Games" books, she's described as being around 50 years old, "with gray hair that falls in an unbroken sheet to her shoulders."Additionally, Coin's eyes are gray. Actress Julianne Moore looked pretty close to this description — especially when it came to her hair. However, we think they could have highlighted the gray in her eyes just a little more.
#4 Glimmer
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Glimmer is portrayed as having "flowing blonde hair, emerald green eyes," and effortlessly adopting the "sexy" stance during her interview in the novels. She is characterized as being blonde, tall, and gorgeous in both instances. As you can see, although Leven Rambin has dark blue eyes, the book Glimmer has "emerald green eyes."
#5 Peeta Mellark
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Like with Katniss, the movie's creators did a lot of things right in their portrayal of Peeta Mellark by way of Josh Hutcherson. Peeta has medium-length, dishwater blonde hair that cascades in waves in both the book and film versions. But unlike in the literature, the movie gave the character hazel eyes instead of his trademark blue eyes.
#6 Rue
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Rue was portrayed by Amandla Stenberg. She was described as a black girl but in the movie, Rue had brown skin. In the movie, Rue was small and feisty which was faithful to the script. The only significant difference was that she wasn't quite as weak as she appeared to be on paper.
#7 Haymitch Abernathy
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While Haymitch Abernathy in the books is shown as having dark wavy hair, Harrelson's Haymitch in the movies has straight blonde hair, and Harrelson's Haymitch in the books has grey eyes.
#8 Johanna Mason
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Johanna Mason in the movies was portrayed by Jena Malone. There are many differences between her movie version and her novel version. For instance, in the movie, Johanna's hair wasn't spiked and her eyes weren't as far apart as she was described in the novel. She also had fewer muscles and looked weaker than the girl who was considered to defeat Katniss in the Quarter Quell arena.
#9 Finnick Odair
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Whether or not Finnick Odair, as portrayed by Sam Claflin, resembled the incredibly attractive muscleman he was described as. In addition to being athletic, tan, and arrogant, he is also suitably atoned for by his propensity for shirtlessness and fondness for sugar cubes on film. What distinction stands out the most? His sea-green eyes weren't as noticeable on TV, and in some scenes, his hair was more sandy blonde than bronze.
#10 President Coriolanus Snow
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One of the most recognizable differences from the book source was Donald Sutherland's portrayal of President Snow on screen. He wasn't the small, weak, aggressive antagonist from the books. Additionally, he lacked the stretch mouth and snake-like eyes that were portrayed in Collins' tales.
#11 Foxface
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Foxface, as portrayed in the Hunger Games film by Jacqueline Emerson, is the same as she is in the books, with vivid red hair, a knack for stealth, and a low-key survivalist attitude. Though fans might not have anticipated, the movie version is also considerably less timid (and lacking in fox-like facial traits). Even still, there is little resemblance between this rendition and the almost animalistic aspect she has on paper—especially because she lacks the amber eyes and the petite frame that were shown on her.
#12 Primrose Everdeen
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The crystalline blue eyes Primrose Everdeen had with her mother were replaced by Willow Shields' own hazel eyes, departing from the way Primrose Everdeen appeared in the novels.
#13 Gale Hawthorne
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Gale Hawthorne, the handiest hunk of District 12, is played by Liam Hemsworth. In the books, he's characterized as a tall, alluringly handsome, strong gent with the same dark hair and grey eyes that mark so many of the coal miners' children in District 12, including Katniss herself. The onscreen Gale was a little paler and older than his version in the novel.
#14 Effie Trinket
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Effie is played by Elizabeth Banks. She is depicted in the books as having a "scary white grin" and wearing a curly wig of "pinkish hair" when she first appears. She changed her clothes and haircut a few times, but that was still Effie; she could never be confused for anybody else, and that was probably the whole point.
#15 And as a bonus, here's Katniss growing up at the end of the series:
Source: Tessa Fahey / Via artbreeder.com, Lionsgate