There’s a Hunger Games profile in the new Vanity Fair featuring the cast in a photo that’s rather similar to the magazine’s shoot with the then-low profile cast of Twilight in 2008. Not sure if this is intentional since people are so eager for The Hunger Games to be the “next”, but if it wasn’t meant to be the same, someone in the Culture department needs some more imagination.

In addition to brief introductions to the fresh faces that make up the first installment of the series - click here to see - there’s also a brief interview with the star of the franchise Jennifer Lawrence. I enjoyed reading her Katniss character analysis and, in particular, what she said to the film’s director Gary Ross about how she thought Katniss should be portrayed:

“Katniss is an incredible character: she’s a hunter but not a killer, a 16-year-old who’s being forced into the arena. These kids are killing one another only because if they don’t they’ll die. It’s needless, pointless, unjustified violence. It’s heartbreaking. When I auditioned, I told [director] Gary [Ross], “I understand if you don’t hire me, but please remember that after Katniss shoots a bow and kills someone, her face cannot be badass.” So there’s nothing cool about her. It’s not like she looks around the arena and goes, Yeah, I got this. I think she looks around helplessly, and thinks, I made a promise to my sister that I would survive; now I have to kill in order to do so.”

Do you approve? I do. A lot.

As for those incessant comparisons to Twilight - God people are dumb sometimes. How is a girl who KILLS PEOPLE the same as a girl who stands there and lets other people decide things for her??? Lawrence is a little more diplomatic about the differentiation:

“I try not to think too much about it. Hunger Games is not Twilight, and while I hear the comparisons, it’s really premature to say that it will be the same phenomenon. I’m so proud of the work we did on the film—Gary and the entire cast and crew were amazing, and I can’t wait for it to be brought to life because I think it’s an important story. If it does become a crazy phenomenon, I’ll soak up my freedom now!”

Click here to read more of Jennifer Lawrence’s interview with Vanity Fair.