Willow Shields, Jennifer Lawrence bond during ‘The Hunger Games’ 

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Willow Shields, Jennifer Lawrence bond during ‘The Hunger Games’

Willow Shields (Primrose Everdeen in “The Hunger Games”) is friends with co-star Jennifer Lawrence.

Actors get a lot of different things out of a role: work, experience, money, fame, attention. Willow Shields, who plays Primrose Everdeen in “The Hunger Games” movies, also got a really good friend in co-star Jennifer Lawrence.

The connection the pair started in “The Hunger Games” and continued through “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” and “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1” has continued to grow. The 14-year-old Shields uses words like “smart” and “sophisticated” when talking about Lawrence.

The main thing is Shields is constantly learning from the actress who plays her older sister.

“We have gotten so close. She is so sweet. As we’ve gotten older, she’s gotten to be more of a mentor to me,” Shields says.

That’s because Lawrence can relate to what it’s like to be a young actor in Hollywood. Lawrence was 16 when she landed her first professional roles in the TV shows “Monk” and “Cold Case.”

Shields, who was born and raised in New Mexico, was 9 when she was cast in the cable series “In Plain Sight.” Because of all the production in the state, Shields and her two siblings convinced their parents to let them start auditioning for parts, and Shields – whom the family always called a “drama queen” – has been working ever since.

In the first two films, her role didn’t require much more than to be the little sister who needed protection from the brutality of the Hunger Games. With “Mockingjay,” she’s found her own place in the rebellion as she’s going through training to be a doctor.

“The Hunger Games” producer, Nina Jacobson, points out that Primrose started out a scared child afraid to lose her sister and best friend but has become her own strong person who can really be there to help Katniss.

“It’s Prim who reminds Katniss of her power and tells her that she can make her own demands when she agrees to be the Mockingjay,” Jacobson says.

Primrose becomes a confidante for Katniss, helping her sister with the pain that comes with post-traumatic stress from the Games.

“She still wants to take care of Prim and their mom as war is breaking out. But I feel like Prim now has a unique ability to stand behind Katniss, and you get to see almost a kind of role reversal between them,” Shields says.

Having read the books, Shields went into the films knowing the path Primrose would take. That’s why she was ready for the new challenges that come with “Mockingjay.”

“I feel like I was pushed harder. It is heavier in a way. All of these characters are in such a weird places. It’s been such a change for them. The rebellion is really happening,” Wright says. “The film shows the symbol of hope that Katniss has become. She’s just a normal young girl trying to find her own way. It’s a fantastic story.”

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