When "The Hunger Games" franchise wrapped up production for its last film "Mockingjay: Part 2," its stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth all got sentimental that they are finally through telling the story of Katniss Everdeen.
Hutcherson, who plays Katniss' partner and love interest Peeta Mellark has learned something pretty incredible while making the films, and he hopes that it will be the same lesson carried out by fans.
"For me, the message that always resonated and that I think is pretty strong is about standing up for what you believe in, and how one person has the ability to affect something. One person can stand up and get behind a cause or what they believe in, and then fight for it," he said during an interview with Collider. I think those are pretty strong messages that I hope the fans take away, and I think they have. I think that's why they've connected with it, in a way. It gave them a sense of empowerment. And the consequence of war."
The three stars all recognise that their characters have developed throughout the franchise, and Hemsworth, who plays Katniss' best friend Gale Hawthorne said that his character has remained rooted in goodness "apart from all the killing and stuff."
"He gets pretty angry towards the end. He's been through a lot. For a long time, he really didn't have any power to do anything. For this last part, he's front and center and he's able to really make an impact. It gets to his head a little bit and he loses some of his own morals and values," he shared. "That's why Gale and Katniss part ways. They have a strong disagreement about what's right in war. That's something that, in the end, Katniss really can't let go of."
As for lead star Lawrence, she knows what a positive impact her character Katniss has had - not just on the filmmaking industry, but also on women in general.
"I feel the impact of being a part of such a huge movie that does so much for so many people. It would be impossible not to. And I think that this character is so overwhelmingly supportive of women," she said.
Lawrence admitted that she still hasn't felt a sense of accomplishment now that "The Hunger Games" franchise is through.
"I think the feeling of accomplishment will happen more when the film finally comes out," she mulled. "I didn't really feel like I said goodbye to her. It's funny, that's what we do on every movie. We develop these characters and, a few months later, we never see them again... I think that's going to be a pretty weird feeling, just on a personal level. These movies have been my life for so many years."
"Mockingjay: Part 2" will be released on November 20, 2015.
