The Hunger Games’ Intense Training Permanently Altered Jennifer Lawrence’s Body – Looper

Like any action star, Jennifer Lawrence had to undergo significant physical preparation for the role of Katniss. After all, the protagonist of “The Hunger Games” is nothing if not a fighter. Naturally, given how central the bow and arrow are to the way Katniss tackles all her successive missions in life, from providing for herself and her family to surviving the titular Games to participating in the revolution against the Capitol, Lawrence had to learn archery in order to inhabit the role convincingly.

As she revealed in a 2015 interview with NPR given during the press cycle for “Joy,” taking up archery was very enjoyable, but also ended up having a big physical impact on her. Lawrence credited her highly demanding archery instructor, Khatuna Lorig, with ensuring she committed to the learning process wholeheartedly. “She was Georgian. She was an excellent instructor — very, very strict. If I had bad form, she would pinch my ear. She didn’t really put up with anything.”

Rising to the physical demands of proper archery form actually came to change Lawrence’s body over time. “It was so crazy, when I went back for the fitting for the second movie for ‘Catching Fire,’ my shoulders were 2 inches broader and my right arm is 1 inch longer than my left arm, permanently, I guess,” the actress told NPR. Talk about dedication to a role … but it’s not like that’s anything new when it comes to Lawrence.