Where Hunger Games cast are now – from ‘cheating on ex with 14 women’ to child stars’ unrecognisable transformations
IT was the blockbuster that turned Jennifer Lawrence into a superstar – and inspired a new generation of archery fans.
The Hunger Games was a box office smash hit in 2012, catapulting its young stars to dizzying heights of fame and rejuvenating the careers of some veterans.
Following the film’s record-breaking triumph, Lawrence, who played the lead Katniss Everdeen, has gone on to win an Oscar.
Julianne Moore and the late Philip Seymour Hoffman were just some of the legends introduced to a fresh audience thanks to the film.
And another is Donald Sutherland, whose performance as the villainous President Snow earned him critical acclaim.
Last night, it was announced by his son and fellow actor Kiefer that Donald had died in Miami at the age of 88 following a long illness.
Writing on X, he said: “With a heavy heart, I tell you that my father, Donald Sutherland, has passed away.
“I personally think one of the most important actors in the history of film. Never daunted by a role, good, bad, or ugly.”
Here, we take a look at what happened to the rest of the cast since the first of The Hunger Games‘ five films was released.
Josh Hutcherson
Josh Hutcherson, 31, played Peeta Mellark in the film, and says the movie changed his life and career.
After the fourth film, Mockingjay Part 2, was released in 2015, Josh retreated from the spotlight for a couple of years.
He returned two years later, with the leading role in Seth Rogen‘s comedy series Future Man.
Although he has had moderate hits with Burn and 57 Seconds, none of his most recent flicks have been able to match the success of The Hunger Games.
Last year, he starred in Five Nights at Freddy’s, which grossed £230million worldwide.
He has also dabbled in politics and campaigned for Bernie Sanders during the 2016 and 2020 US elections.
Liam Hemsworth
Liam Hemsworth, 34, played heartthrob Gale Hawthorne in the movie and gained legions of adoring female fans in the process.
After the movies, he appeared in films such as Independence Day: Resurgence and Isn’t It Romantic.
The Australian star also had a hugely publicised relationship with pop superstar Miley Cyrus. The pair began an on-off relationship after starring in a movie together.
They tied the knot in 2018 but separated the following year and divorced in 2020.
At the time, it was alleged that Liam had cheated on Miley with 14 women, a claim he has denied.
Miley’s fans have insisted her 2023 hit song Flowers – which won her her first Grammy Award – is about their relationship, but she’s never confirmed or denied this.
Liam is now in a relationship with model Gabriella Brooks and is set to appear in the Netflix movie Lonely Planet.
Willow Shields
Willow Shields played Primrose Everdeen, Katniss’ little sister.
The 24-year-old has had moderate success with movies such as Into the Rainbow and Woodstock or Bust and became the youngest person to compete in Dancing With the Stars at 14.
She also played Serena Baker in the Netflix drama series Spinning Out, which was cancelled after just one season.
In 2022, she came out as bisexual in an Instagram post.
Last year, she shocked fans by sharing private photos of herself on social media, bravely revealing she had been blackmailed and decided to release the photos herself to take control.
Earlier, this month fans dubbed her “unrecognisable” in a video flexing flexing her muscles, with the hashtag ‘body positive.’
Jena Malone
For Jena Malone, 39, the experience on The Hunger Games set was bittersweet after alleging she had been sexually abused by an unnamed co-worker.
Earlier this year, she took to Instagram to share a picture after the film’s final instalment, Mockingjay Part 2, wrapped.
In the snap, she is seen in a field in the French countryside.
She says she asked her driver to pull over so she could “cry and capture this moment”.
In the caption, she wrote: “Even tho this time in Paris was extremely hard for me, was going thru a bad breakup and also was sexually assaulted by someone I had worked with, I was so full of gratitude for this project, the people I became close with and this amazing part I got to play.
“A swirling mix of emotions I’m only now just learning to sort thru. I wish it wasn’t tied to such a traumatic event for me but that is the real wildness of life I guess. How to hold the chaos with the beauty.”
In 2022, Jena came out as pansexual and said she was polyamorous.
While she has ventured more into music now, Jena was last seen in the film Love Lies Bleeding.
Jack Quaid
As the son of Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid, it is no surprise that Jack Quaid, 32, caught the acting bug and landed the role of Marvel in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.
Since then, he has appeared in several movies, including slasher films, Tragedy Girls and Scream VI, while enjoying a breakout role as vigilante Hughie Campbell in the satirical superhero TV series The Boys.
Jack also appeared in the 2023 Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer.
Last year, his mum lept to his defence against claims that he was a nepo baby.
She said: “Jack is really talented. He’s more of a natural than I’ll ever be.
“That nepo stuff is so dismissive of his work ethic, his gifts and how sensitive he is to the idea of his privilege.”
Sam Claflin
Although he had starred in Pirates of the Caribbean, Sam Claflin’s huge popularity came after he appeared as Finnick Odair in The Hunger Games.
Since then, the Brit has had a successful career and has appeared in blockbusters such as Me Before You, The Adrift, and The Nightingale.
The 37-year-old has also played Oswald Mosley in the period drama Peaky Blinders.
While his career has been fantastic since the movies, the same cannot be said about his love life.
In 2013, he married actress Laura Haddock and had two kids with her.
But in 2019, they announced that they had split.
Last year, he opened up about the divorce and how “horrendous” it was.
“Every breakup is difficult, and obviously having kids makes it even more,” he told GQ. “During Covid I really f***ing struggled with the kids and, mentally, where my life was.
“Working through that, I’ve started getting to a point where I’m not afraid of saying no anymore. It’s a horrendous thing to go through.”
Alexander Ludwig
Alexander Ludwig, 32, started his career as a child star and worked on movies such as The Seeker: The Dark Rising and 2009’s Race to Witch Mountain.
He played Cato in The Hunger Games and has gone on to other successful films, including two Bad Boys movies alongside Will Smith.
His career hasn’t been plain sailing, however.
At the height of his Hunger Games fame, when he was 19, he was caught partying at a 21 and overs club.
He has also admitted he was addicted to alcohol at just 14 until he sought help in rehab.
In 2022, Alexander, who is also a country singer, revealed that he and his wife, Lauren, had suffered a third miscarriage.
They finally had their first child, a daughter, in April 2023.
Mahershala Ali
Although Mahershala Ali, 50, had been acting before The Hunger Games, he gained wider recognition after starring in the final two films.
Since then, he has found huge success and even won Oscars for his performances in the films Moonlight and Green Book, in 2017 and 2019, respectively.
He became the first Muslim actor to win an Oscar.
In 2018, his Green Book co-star Viggo Mortensen caused outrage when he used the N-word during a screening of the film. Viggo later apologised to Mahershala.
Accepting the apology, Mahershala noted that it was inappropriate for him to utter the word.
Amandla Stenberg
The Hunger Games was Amandla Stenberg‘s first movie, and catapulted them to fame, thanks to the heartbreaking role of the youngest tribute Rue.
Since the first film, Amandla – who uses they/them pronouns – has starred in many hit films including Dear Evan Hansen and the critically-acclaimed The Hate U Give.
And they’re currently playing the lead in the new Star Wars show The Acolyte, on Disney+.
In 2022, Amandla had a public argument with New York Times film critic Lena Wilson, when they accused her of objectifying them in a review of their film Bodies, Bodies, Bodies.
They said: “I do get tired about people talking about my chest.
“It seems to be in Hollywood, it’s not normalised to have boobs that are above an A or a B cup.”