Here's Your First Look at Peeta and Gale in The Hunger Games
When EW debuted the first look at Jennifer Lawrence as heroine Katniss Everdeen in Lionsgate's The Hunger Games, it looked pretty damn good. But will Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson fare as well when it comes to embodying the well-loved characters of Gale and Peeta in Gary Ross's 2012 adaptation? Get your first full look at the men of The Hunger Games after the jump!
First reactions: Hemsworth as Katniss's hunting BFF Gale is closer to my mental image than Hutcherson is as Peeta, the golden boy baker's son who becomes her District 12 partner in the annual Hunger Games -- but then I knew as soon as Hutcherson's casting was announced that he'd never perfectly fit my idea of Peeta. Still, the kid deserves a chance to wow fans (or not) with his acting ability, and that touch of grime (or is it a sun-kissed tan?) helps Hutcherson look just a tad weathered and tough.
Hemsworth, meanwhile, disappears much more into the character -- granted, we're looking at a Photoshopped magazine cover, but still. He's so slimmed down, he looks like the Steve Rogers pre-serum version of Liam Hemsworth, as if Captain America technology had been applied to him in the pre-production process.
Question is, steely gazes aside, do either of these young men look tough enough to win J. Law-as-Katniss's heart? I'd say she wins the Hunger Games badass contest so far, which is just as well. Look for the cover article in the August 5 issue of EW to prove how the actors "are bringing [their characters] to life." The Hunger Games is scheduled to hit theaters March 23, 2012.
Click the cover for a closer look.
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Comments
PEETA is not supposed to be tanned. He is the baker's son, pale skin, blue-eyes, and blonde hair. It's Katniss and Gale who are dark-skinned with blue eyes. Josh Hutcherson looks nothing like how Peeta is described. He is also short (5'7"), Liam is (6'3") tall like Gale. I'm not buying Lionsgate's Peeta.
I buy Hutcherson as Peeta...I think the tan is supposed to have come from time spent in the arena. Anyway, I think they both look great and I'm loving Josh and his lovely arms. I just can't wait for the film!.
Personally, I'd rather them choose actors that can embody the characters than models that look like what the author described. I'm worried about Liam - he isn't the best actor in the world. At least Josh has shown that he can act. However I wish ONE movie would try and find the best actors for the part instead of the prettiest. Both Liam and Josh are ridiculously good-looking, but what if they picked actors that were more average looking but personified Gale and Peeta more? Wouldn't that be a shocker!