The Hunger Games film series not only captivated audiences with its thrilling storyline but also left a lasting impression with the remarkable physical transformations of its stars. In this article, we delve into the fitness and wellness secrets of 13 Hunger Games actors, shedding light on their dedicated workouts, diets, and health regimens that helped them embody their iconic characters. From Jennifer Lawrence’s commitment to positive body image to Liam Hemsworth’s love for the outdoors, discover the incredible efforts these stars put into sculpting their bodies for the epic dystopian saga.
Jennifer Lawrence played the lead role of Katniss Everdeen. In an interview with Variety, she revealed that she didn’t diet during the films, as she didn’t want to give young girls a bad message. “Along with me being young and growing and not able to be on a diet, I don’t know if I want all of the girls who are going to dress up as Katniss to feel like they can’t because they’re not a certain weight. And I can’t let that seep into my brain either.”
Elizabeth Banks played Effie Trinket in all four movies. She shared some of her diet secrets with Glamour. “When you go to the grocery store, buy more bananas than cookies…Portion control is a real problem. My husband and I always split one appetizer and one entree. I’m sure waiters hate us.”
Lenny Kravitz played Cinna in the first two films. Kravitz is vegan, and talked about his diet to Men’s Health. “I’m very careful about what I put into my body and how I take care of my body. It’s a combination of eating all these things and working out and keeping my muscles and my joints in shape, so that I can do what I do.”
Evan Ross played Messalla in the last two films. He talked about his training process for the films with The New York Times. “We usually start with some cardio: boxing, some exercise with the slam ball, pull-ups, push-ups, dips,” he said. “That’s the warm-up. A lot of focus on the core, taking everything slowly.”
Jena Malone played Johanna Mason in three of the films. She shared her training process in an interview with Vogue. “I lifted 235 pounds in preparation for that movie and my whole body transformed. The same stunt team—they’re called 87Eleven—got me in shape for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. We focused on martial arts–type training for the role of Johanna, which helped with stamina and endurance. I also did strength training with Patrick Murphy, who is kind of like a body sculptor. I trained five days a week for two months before we started filming, and then I kept it up during the months of shooting.“
Liam Hemsworth played Gale Hawthorne in all four films. He shared some of his fitness secrets with Men’s Health. “I’ve been trying to spend as much time outdoors as I can. Cycling, playing soccer or basketball, going for two-hour hikes and doing as many push-ups as I can on the way.”
Julianne Moore played Alma Coin in the last two films. She talked about her workout secrets in an interview with Health Magazine. “I try to do Ashtanga yoga two to three times a week. I’ve also started working out with a trainer, doing light weights and a lot of jumping around. The main problem is I can’t do anything six days straight because I get hurt. That’s the thing about old age, eventually your hip starts to hurt and you have to switch and do something else.”
Natalie Dormer played Cressida in the final two movies. She shared some of her favorite workouts with POPSugar. “My yoga mat will always be in my luggage,” Dormer said. “Yoga is invaluable when you’re on long-haul flights a lot. But I do it for my mind as much as my body. Actually, that’s true of my relationship with all exercise.”
Mahershala Ali played Boggs in the final two movies. He likes to bike ride to stay in shape, and shared some of his favorite spots to ride in with WebMD. “I always preferred riding on city streets, but because of how hectic things have been, I have really found peace riding around in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park for about an hour, going around in circles and listening to music.”
Sam Clafin joined the series in the second film as Finnick Odair. He recently starred in Daisy Jones & The Six, and broke down his training process to Men’s Health. “So, we basically did as much cardio and careful dieting as was safe. I was training with a personal trainer, and was on a very, very specific calorie per day intake—he’d mapped out a daily meal plan, and I stuck to that as closely as possible. And no word of a lie, within a month we started to see results.”
Jeffery Wright played Beetee Latier in the film series. In a “25 Things You Didn’t Know About Me” interview with Us Weekly, he shared a hobby he picked up while filming. “I took up surfing while filming The Hunger Games in Oahu, Hawaii. If I weren’t an actor, I’d be surfing every day and eating lots of fresh fish.”
Patina Miller played Commander Paylor in the film series. She is also a Broadway star, and talked about how doing shows changed her wellness routine to Fit For Broadway. “I got on Broadway, I started eating a more pescatarian diet and I started training about 5 times a week. I would do about 2 strength training workouts and then I would do 3 days of cardio on top of the 8 show schedule. I realized that nutrition played a role in my vocal health, because taking out all the dairy and a lot of the processed food made for less phlegm so that I could sing and also treating my body from the inside out. Treating it right… it really played a role in the energy I was able to give in each show. And being strong made it great for me to be able to physically take on the demands of being in such a rigorous show schedule 8 times a week.”
Josh Hutcherson played lead role Peeta Mellark for all four movies. He looked back on that time in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. “It was worlds apart from anything I have ever experienced. It’s like a double-edged sword. Obviously the benefit of having more projects come your way is great. But when I set out to become an actor at 8, being famous and being recognized was not on my radar. I just wanted to make movies. That naiveté followed me until The Hunger Games slapped me in the face. It’s hard for anybody to digest, especially being a kid from Kentucky. It made me realize the kind of actor I wanted to be. The idea of doing big, big projects that make you even more well-known doesn’t sound as appetizing. If that opportunity came up again, I would have to think about it more.”