Some readers of "The Hunger Games"might find an eerie resemblance between the book's fictional televised teen death matches and the way we consume reality TV today.
Except, we're not sitting around watching reality competitions where contestants are expected to fight to the death, which is the premise of author Suzanne Collins' dystopian books.
But for the star of this month's movie adaptation, Jennifer Lawrence, "The Hunger Games" called to mind a ubiquitous reality TV name: Kardashian.
"I was watching the Kardashian girl getting divorced, and that's a tragedy for anyone," Lawrence tells Parade magazine. "But they're using it for entertainment, and we're watching it. The books hold up a terrible kind of mirror: This is what our society could be like if we became desensitized to trauma and to each other's pain."
Lawrence stars in the film as Katniss Everdeen, the teen heroine who volunteers to enter the deathly "Games" in order to save her younger sister's life. Along the way, she finds herself forced to fight against love interest Peeta Mellark, played by Josh Hutcherson.
"Peeta is all about staying true to yourself. He goes into the Games and does everything he can to maintain what he believes in and not become just another pawn," Hutcherson tells Parade. "Growing up in the acting world, you have a lot of opportunities to change who you are and what you believe in based on how people treat you. I never wanted to do that. And that's what Peeta's driving toward through the series."
Both Hutcherson and Lawrence are bracing themselves for the intense fandom that'll come along with their roles, with Lawrence saying that she's "never played a part this famous." But Katniss has become a character close to her heart.
"I love Katniss. She doesn't have a lot, but she's happy, and she faces death out of love for her family," Lawrence says. "She doesn't want to be a hero, but she becomes the symbol for a revolution, a kind of futuristic Joan of Arc."
By Breeanna Hare, CNN
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