Maya Hawke credits Jennifer Lawrence, The Hunger Games for her acting dream

LOS ANGELES, July 12: Stranger Things star Maya Hawke has revealed what inspired her to become an actor, saying the first Hunger Games movie and Jennifer Lawrence’s performance played a big role in her decision.

And now? She’s in the new Hunger Games film herself. Full-circle moment, I guess.

Maya is 28 and recently released a new Audible Original called The Summer Oath. She was talking to PEOPLE magazine about both projects when she reflected on how the franchise influenced her career.

She said, “Honestly, the first Hunger Games movie is what made me want to act.”

Maya Hawke also talked about how hard it is to deliver a great performance in big action movies. There’s so much happening that the acting can sometimes get lost. But she gave Jennifer Lawrence a lot of credit for her portrayal of Katniss Everdeen.

“Jennifer did something really unique with that role,” Maya said. “Even with it being a big franchise movie, her character still felt like her own person.”

The new film is called The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

For people who don’t remember, The Hunger Games is based on Suzanne Collins’ books. There are three novels but four original movies because Mockingjay was split into two films.

The story is set in Panem, basically a messed-up future where the rich rulers force kids from poor districts to fight to the death on live TV every year.

The original movies starred Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, and many others.

The franchise later expanded with the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, starring Rachel Zegler.

Sunrise on the Reaping is also a prequel. It takes place after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, and it’s hitting theaters later this year.

Maya Hawke is playing a younger version of Wiress, a character originally played by Amanda Plummer in Catching Fire.

The cast is stacked too. Joseph Zada, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Kieran Culkin, and Lili Taylor are all playing younger versions of familiar franchise characters.

Maya said her role is small, but she loves it.

“I’m honestly just excited to watch the movie as a fan,” she said.

She also said working with director Francis Lawrence was a big deal for her.

“I feel lucky I got to work with him and be part of this anti-fascist story,” Maya Hawke added.

With a cast that big, Maya admitted it was a little intimidating.

Laughing, she said, “There are so many amazing actors in this that I just hope I didn’t ruin the whole movie. Sometimes there’s that one person who sticks out in a bad way. I really hope that’s not me.”

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to hit theaters on November 20 this year.