Jennifer Lawrence talks Hunger Games violence

News
By published

Explains seven second cuts

Anyone with even the vaguest familiarity with the plot will know that the theme of violence (and child-on-child violence at that) is at the heart of The Hunger Games .

It was confirmed earlier this week that the UK version has had seven seconds of footage cut from the final edit in order to guarantee a 12a certificate. However, Jennifer Lawrence has told the BBC that the cuts were crucial to the film’s success and won’t dilute anyone’s enjoyment of the film as a whole.

“We had to have a PG-13 rating,” she explained, “but violence is [ still ] at the heart of the movie, because it has to make people angry enough to start an uprising. We couldn't water down the movie.”

Indeed, there’s nothing to suggest that a 12a certificate necessarily translates to a sanitised film. The Dark Knight is an excellent example of an extremely violent film that shows very little in the way of on-screen nastiness.

Lawrence went on to talk a little about her character, who she confirmed she would like to play in any forthcoming sequels. “She’s a lot braver than she thinks she is,” said Lawrence. “She’s an interesting hero. She never thinks she won’t die.”

The Hunger Games opens in the UK on 23 March 2012.

George Wales
George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.