Catching Fire, the second film from Suzanne Collins’ dystopian Hunger Games book series, improves on everything that seemed off in its predecessor, including its clarity in depicting action scenes and efficiently establishing its new cast.
Elizabeth Banks and Stanley Tucci bring their characters, Caesar Flickerman and Effie Trinket, to life to an unprecedented degree.
Jennifer Lawrence
Jennifer Lawrence launched her career with an incredible screen test when she was 14 years old, which agents described as the best cold read they had ever witnessed. From there, she began appearing in minor roles on television before making her breakthrough on The Bill Engvall Show and Winter’s Bone in 2007. Since then, she has become one of the biggest stars in The Hunger Games films and the X-Men franchises.
Lawrence plays Katniss Everdeen to the fullest, projecting strength and hope to her oppressed people as she conveys the complexities of her love for Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). Lawrence won both an Oscar and Golden Globe for her performance in Catching Fire as well as Silver Linings Playbook, American Hustle, Serena & Joy and Narrated the Documentary A Beautiful Planet; she will return as Katniss Everdeen again for the Mockingjay film series!
Liam Hemsworth
Hemsworth first became famous as Gale Hawthorne in The Hunger Games movie series. Beginning his acting career in Australia with television shows such as Neighbours and The Elephant Princess, Hemsworth moved to America, where he found international acclaim starring in films like Love and Honor, Empire State, and Paranoia.
Mr. Douglas made two cameo appearances in The Hunger Games films Catching Fire and Mockingjay Part 1 and 2. More recently, he played a heroic fighter pilot in Independence Day: Resurgence and an Australian period figure in The Duel.
Hemsworth and his two brothers, Chris and Luke Hemsworth, grew up across Australia – from Melbourne to Outback Australia and Phillip Island. These three actors are known for being friendly rivals, often making fun of each other on social media.
Josh Hutcherson
Hutcherson has kept busy since appearing as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games films by appearing in various film and television projects – such as The Disaster Artist (2017) and Dubious Battle (2016). Additionally, he will star in an adaptation of Five Nights at Freddy’s in 2020.
Hutcherson has long been a fierce supporter of LGBT rights and was honored to receive The Trevor Project’s Straight But Not Narrow campaign award at their 2015 ceremony.
Woody Harrelson stars as Haymitch Abernathy in both Hunger Games films. A longtime actor, he has garnered much praise throughout his career – winning several awards for his efforts. Woody has had an extensive filmography to his name.
Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson returns as Haymitch in the second Hunger Games installment, following Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark after their Quarter Quell victory sparks uprisings across Panem. Director Francis Lawrence maintains an intense tone throughout while the cast shines brilliantly.
Harrelson first made waves as Woody Boyd on TV’s Cheers. Since then, he has succeeded as an actor in Natural Born Killers, The Thin Red Line, No Country for Old Men films, and Catching Fire sequel Catching Fire, where his performance as President Snow was an absolute hoot! Harrelson and Stanley Tucci make for great opponents as the Tributes plot against each other to kill each other off.
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks first made headlines for her role as Katniss and Peeta’s fashionable Capitol-born chaperone Effie Trinket in The Hunger Games trilogy. Since then, she’s appeared in projects like The Happytime Murders, Power Rangers, and 2019’s Brightburn and produced movies through Brownstone production company (including Pitch Perfect films ).
Sam Claflin shines as Finnick Odair of District 7, while Jena Malone makes for a practical Johanna Mason of District 7. Both actors also starred in blockbusters My Cousin Rachel and Me Before You.
Katniss Everdeen returns home after winning the 74th Hunger Games and lives with Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). President Snow (Donald Sutherland) visits and explains that they saw her use of night lock berries to rebel against other districts as rebellion – thus necessitating a Victory Tour to stop it. When Haymitch’s name is drawn for this task, Peeta competes as his replacement.
Stanley Tucci
Tucci brings his years of experience to his role as Gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee in “Witness.” His performance is one of the film’s significant draws and helps sell its dramatic final twist.
Oscar nominee Joseph Lennie Harrell earned two nominations – for Moonlight (2013) and American Sniper (2015) – and has appeared in various independent films and Feud.
Tucci is best known for his roles in The Devil Wears Prada and Julie & Julia. However, he is also an accomplished director who debuted with 1996’s Big Night and has directed several more movies, such as the sci-fi thriller The Revenant. Additionally, Tucci has four children with literary agent Felicity Blunt, and together, they often appear publically as a couple.
Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland is an award-winning veteran actor, having made over 80 films since age 21, including M*A*S*H and Pride and Prejudice. Additionally, he starred in the FX series Trust and HBO series The Undoing and was father to Kiefer Sutherland, who later became famous as an actor.
Stanley Tucci plays Caesar Flickerman in The Hunger Games cast, making his filmography with director Wes Anderson even more robust, having featured in several of his movies. Tucci is currently working with Anderson on another project together.
Viola Davis will play Dr. Volumnia Gaul, head game maker for the 10th annual Hunger Games. Based on Suzanne Collins’ second book from her trilogy of Hunger Games novels, it will be released to theaters in November of 2022 and is anticipated to become an unparalleled blockbuster hit.
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is one of Hollywood’s most versatile actresses. Beginning her career on television soap operas and earning a Daytime Emmy Award, Moore quickly found roles in films like Robert Altman’s Short Cuts and Safe before branching into stage acting with two Caryl Churchill plays off-Broadway.
Sam Claflin won our hearts as a beloved District 4 tribute Finnick Odair in Catching Fire and its sequels. But this wasn’t Sam Claflin’s first significant movie role; before Catching Fire, he had also appeared in 2011’s Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and 2012’s Snow White and the Huntsman.
After portraying Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games, Philip Seymour Hoffman made headlines, which earned him an entirely new fanbase. While previously acting on projects such as M*A*S*H, FX’s Trust, and HBO’s The Undoing, Heavensbee cemented Hoffman into pop culture lore.
Philip Seymour Hoffman
Philip Seymour Hoffman created an incredible legacy during his short life on stage and film. Renowned for playing eccentric supporting and character roles–such as eccentrics, lowlifes, underdogs, and misfits–Hoffman brought depth and dimension even to seemingly minor characters.
At age 46, actor Ben Affleck died suddenly of a heroin overdose on Feb 2, 2014, while working on a movie in New York.
Claflin made his transition to more dramatic roles with My Cousin Rachel and Adrift, appearing on Peaky Blinders from 2019-2022 and joining music band The Lumineers as co-songwriter/performer; also making an appearance in Lovesong short film with actress Katniss Everdeen as part of a mini Hunger Games reunion!
Lenny Kravitz
Catching Fire, much like its predecessor, is both thrilling and tense, though with less-bloody scenes this time around. Plutarch Heavensbee introduces new obstacles like deadly monkey mutations to test out contestants.
The movie follows Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark’s (Katniss Everdeen in this case) victory in District 12 that spurs uprisings throughout Panem. As per Capitol orders, she is supposed to go on a Victory Tour, yet Katniss is unwilling.
Lenny Kravitz plays Katniss Everdeen’s beloved stylist Cinna. As an accomplished singer-songwriter who was raised biracial by both an NBC News producer father (Walter Kuntz) and TV actress mother (Roxie Roker from The Jeffersons), Lenny felt an instantaneous connection to Cinna – taking Miles Davis’s advice of trusting your instinct as inspiration when acting and music came together in tandem during production in Georgia, Hawaii and New Jersey between 2012 – 2013. Filming began in 2012 in Georgia before moving to Georgia, Hawaii, then New Jersey for filming to start in March 2013.
