Chloe Moretz as The Hunger Games’ Katniss is a Bad Idea

About the only thing similar actress Chloe Moretz and The Hunger Games’ fictional Katniss Everdeen have in common is both have kicked a lot of ass and both have seen a boatload of blood. I’m referring, tounge-in-cheek, to Moretz’s performances as Hit Girl in last April’s Kick-Ass, as well as her role as the blood-thirsty, yet tender-hearted, vampire in Let Me In, opening this Friday. Those are the only similarities and if the rumors of Moretz being considered for the role of Katniss are true, that is a bad, bad, bad idea on two main fronts.

First and foremost, Chloe Moretz looks absolutely nothing like Katniss Everdeen. Moretz has pale skin and is a dishwater blonde, whereas Collins describes Katniss as having long, black hair (usually in a braid of sorts), grayish eyes and olive-colored skin, traits that specifically mark residents of The Seam, the poorest of poor miners in District 12. Short of a huge makeover, which I suppose is possible, Moretz simply doesn’t fit the part. And that leads me to my last point.

Casting Chloe Moretz as Katniss Everdeen would be overkill and utter saturation for a movie that needs fresh faces and fresh blood. The same can be said of rumors of Kristen Stewart or Dakota Fanning suiting up as the aforementioned Everdeen. No, The Hunger Games needs an original cast of newbies because it needs to distance itself from the glut of teen-centric/young adult cinema, particularly The Twilight Saga, and rely more on story to push its success.

23 comments On Chloe Moretz as The Hunger Games’ Katniss is a Bad Idea

  • I love you.
    No seriously. This seems to be the only article that has actually researched The Hunger Games and Katniss. Anyone who’s read the books could plainly see Chloe Moretz CANNOT be Katniss, as well as the other actresses mentioned.
    Bravo. Maybe good journalism isn’t dead after all.

    • I TOTALLY agree! I don’t understand why people think she is perfect for the role. And when did she become the only child star?

  • I agree completely. No one in the fandom has actually suggested Moretz, Stewart, or Fanning. It seems to be the same three (UNRESEARCHED!) news outlets that are spreading this around. USA Today started these “rumors” from within. No one who’s read the books would be stupid enough to wish those castings upon the movie, no matter how big a fan they are of the actresses themselves.

  • I agreee!!! The director wouldn’t be so stupid as to cast someone like chloe, nothing against her, its just she wouldn’t be right for the part.

  • i believe that she cannot be katniss that is just stupid. i love these books and i hope the movie is just as good

  • Jenna, thanks, I have read The Hunger Games (I’m in the middle of Mockingjay) and I can’t imagine anyone with half a brain wanting Moretz as Katniss. She’s great, but not for this part. Wait until you see some of the names I suggest later in the week for Katniss. It will be fun to read everyone’s opinions about my choices.

  • Really, you guys should be able to come up with better excuses than she has the wrong color hair. I think Chloe has already proven she has the talent and experience to take on a role like this and if they have to dye her hair then so what?

  • It’s not a simple matter of hair color. Nobody’s doubting Chloe’s talent, but she’s the wrong pick for The Hunger Games. Her name is tossed around because of her status right now as one of Hollywood’s up and coming actresses, and that’s not what the movie needs, especially where this is a very fan-centric piece of literature and cinema.

  • oh god NO. i am ok with dakoda fanning (if she dies her hair) but there is NO way Kristin Stewart will pull this off. she had a dead personality and the last thing we need is another twilight invasion. hunger games is original, therefore, we need original characters.

  • I would love to play Katniss. I have been in theater productions since I was little, and as soon as I read the first book, I felt very connected to the character. I am Katniss-age with dark hair, and if I got the part, or an audition, I would work very hard to make sure I portrayed her accurately. My new pictures can be found at this link http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?pid=200141&o=all&op=1&view=all&subj=159746560708670&aid=-1&id=100001011678047&oid=159746560708670&fbid=143473405696381. Do you think I look like Katniss? Thank you!

  • THANK YOU. Finally someone with some sense about this casting idea. I think the biggest problem is her age. She’s 13 and closer to Prim’s age. Katniss is 16. It just wouldn’t be believable that she had been providing for her family the way she did up until the reaping. Furthermore, with all that she goes through/achieves in the Capitol and the arena… the girl that’s cast has got to be fierce.

  • After watched Kick Ass, Diary of Wimpy Kid, and today Let Me In, I’m sure Chloe Moretz will make a great Katniss! Seriously, that girl is acting prodigy. I ‘m willing to toss aside age and looks for her, because I’m really sure she will pull it of perfectly. Before, I fervently reject her because look at her pictures really big no for me as Katniss, but my friend give me Kick Ass and Wimpy Kid DVD…. and, wow, just… WOW !

  • Thank you!!
    Is that hard for everyone to think like you????

  • you are all assholes

  • Naomi, Chloe definitely has a bright future, but she’s the wrong pick for Katniss. I don’t think anyone doubts her ability, just her fit for this role. Mark my words: It won’t be her. One thing Chloe doesn’t have going for her is how little and young she seems in all her roles. Katniss, while only 16-17, is much more mature and seems more like an adult than a kid. They need to find someone who embodies those traits and I don’t think that’s Chloe.

    • No. In Kick Ass yes she still looks like a child, in Let Me In partial, but in Wimpy Kid… that’s screaming Katniss for me. Her mature acting and tremendous screen presence are suit for Katniss. She has special ability to carry the movie, my friend called it a “scene stealer.” And that’s who Katniss is, make Capitol people glued on watch her in TV. Good that she’ll be at least 14 years old when they begin filming.

  • Oh, also wise beyond her years quality in Chloe’s really matched Katniss as well.

  • Hahaha, Naomi, I can appreciate your love for Chole. I think she’s great, too. This is one where we’ll have to agree to disagree. I’m just about done with Mockingjay and then I’ll have my picks for the Hunger Games cast up here at the site. Check it out and let me know your thoughts. Either way, it will be exciting to see how the cast shapes up and to watch the production start. It gives me confidence that Collins, a veteran TV writer, is doing the screenplay.

  • Thak you GOD that someone has written this!!! Chloe is on my list of “try it and die”s for Katniss. This book to movie journey has SO much more potential than the superficial shallow teen oriented TV and movies these days.

  • It seems that the people are forgeting the image Katniss is supposed to play. Mortez can’t be Katniss! She is a great actress, she doesn’t have the right apperance. If I am correct, Katniss is not supposed to look innocent. I also think many people have over looked the fact that the actress playing Katniss must have singing ability, she sings in both Hunger Games and Mockingjay. Finally an article that say’s she SHOULDN’T be casted. I hope they will consider the fans reaction to this before they decide who to cast.

    (Does anyone know where to get information on the Hunger Games audittions? Everyone says I would be perfect for Katniss, and I would love to play that part. Please respond if you know any information on the audittions. Thanks!)

  • The only qualms I have for Chloe is her size due to her age. In an age where movies can transform Charlize Theron into Aileen Wuornos (MONSTER) I’d think transforming Moretz to have the appearance of Katniss would be quite simple.

    The books are so character centric that whomever they choose needs the ability to carry the movie. As for now, I can only see Chloe having the capability to do so. Yes she may look innocent and so forth, but she can be formed to become more gritty and physical within months.

    For instance compare her in Kick Ass with the Actors from Harry Potter the Philosopher’s Stone since they were the same age of 11. She may look small and innocent compared to an adult, but her stature was much more prominent that them due to her training. She’s grown up a bit so I think (IF) given at least one more year to grow before shooting happens, she can pull off the gritty the survival physique of Katniss.

    I understand those that want a fresh unkown face, but the variable is the acting ability. Such a person cannot just meet the status quo, she needs to have the presence to carry a series. For all the young actresses I’ve scene, Chloe is the only one that I can seperate from her characters. The characters she plays have an identity of their own.

    I’m reminded of fans calling foul when Daniel Craig was cast as bond due to his appearance. Guess what, his ability as an actor paid off despite his appearance.

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