EW Debut First Look At Jennifer Lawrence As Katniss Everdeen In ‘The Hunger Games’

Our prayers have been answered, and the daily casting updates for “The Hunger Games,” for the most part announcing nobodies who’ll barely be in the film, seem to have dried up, with the film’s ‘tributes’ — those competing in the dystopian blood sports of the title — now fully cast. Does that mean that things will be quiet until the film debuts its first trailer? Don’t be stupid.

Lionsgate has its heart set on the film, based on the novels by Suzanne Collins, being the next big franchise, so the publicity machine continues to grind its gears. Entertainment Weekly‘s latest issue features on its cover the first look at Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence in character as the film’s main part, Katniss Everdeen. Of course, the film hasn’t technically started filming yet, but that’s never stopped anyone before.

The magazine also got to talk with Lawrence and have given a glimpse of the interview on their website, in which Lawrence continues to be her outspoken, badass self, and gives an insight into landing one of the most sought-after roles in recent memory. The actress describes meeting director Gary Ross for the first time, right in the midst of awards season madness: “He was asking me what the experience was like, and I just kind of opened up and said, ‘I feel like a rag doll. I have hair and makeup people coming to my house every day and putting me in new, uncomfortable, weird dresses and expensive shoes, and I just shut down and raise my arms up for them to get the dress on, and pout my lips when they need to put the lipstick on.’ And we both started laughing because that’s exactly what it’s like for Katniss in the Capitol. She was a girl who’s all of a sudden being introduced to fame. I know what that feels like to have all this flurry around you and feel like, ‘Oh, no, I don’t belong here.’”

More importantly, Lawrence seems to have won the approval of the character’s creator, Suzanne Collins — the actress relates that the author called her to tell her: “I feel like when you said yes, the world got lifted off my shoulders.” And yet, Lawrence seems to think that the part is pretty much the role of a lifetime, which gives us some hope: “I love this story, and if I had said no, I would regret it every day.”

EW hits stands on Friday with more pictures of Lawrence, and we’ll update when they become available. Lawrence is joined in the film by Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Wes Bentley and Paula Malcomson, with one major role — the villainous President Snow, yet to be cast. Lionsgate will release the finished film on March 23rd, 2012.