Katniss Everdeen the year 2174), consisting of the Capitol and 12 subservient districts. During the yearly "Reaping" of tributes for the gladiator-like Hunger Games, Katniss's younger sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female tribute during a public lottery. Katniss volunteers to take her place. Talking in terms of "winning the reaping", the district's Hunger Games manager Effie Trinket asks for a round of applause for Katniss, but everyone remains silent. Many in the crowd press their three fingers against their mouths and hold it out to her. Katniss describes this as an ancient sign for saying "admiration," "goodbye to someone you
The Hunger Games (novel) Twenty-year-old actress Jennifer Lawrence was chosen to play Katniss Everdeen. Though Lawrence was four years older than the character when filming began, Collins felt the role demanded "a certain maturity and power" and said she would rather the actress be older than younger. She added that Lawrence was the "only one who truly captured the character I wrote in the book" and that she had "every essential quality necessary to play Katniss." Lawrence, a fan of the books, took three days to accept the role, initially intimidated by the size of the production. Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth were later