Jennifer Lawrence says she 'almost didn't do' 'The Hunger Games' movies after seeing how massive 'Twilight' became

• Jennifer Lawrence says she almost turned down "The Hunger Games" movies because of "Twilight."
• On "The Rewatchables" podcast, Lawrence said the saga's fame made her question what she wanted out of life.

Jennifer Lawrence's career could've taken a different journey if she made a life-altering choice over a decade ago.

During a recent appearance on "The Rewatchables" podcast with Bill Simmons, Lawrence said she nearly turned down her starring role in "The Hunger Games" franchise.

"I almost didn't do 'Hunger Games' because 'Twilight' had come out and that fandom had happened," Lawrence said in response to Simmons saying the latter felt "invasive" to its main stars, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson.

"When I was trying to talk to people about making this decision after they offered it to me, I was just like, 'I don't know," Lawrence said of "The Hunger Games" franchise. "It was so hard to explain to people."

Lawrence continued: "I just assumed it was going to be like 'Twilight,' like the 'Twilight'-level of fame and that was just never something I had in mind. I wanted to do indies and I wanted to do good films, but I didn't want to be the most famous person on the planet. That's a very different life than what I had pictured for myself."

The actor, who currently stars in comedy "No Hard Feelings," said she probably "would have been miserable" if she was under the paparazzi lens as much as Stewart and Pattinson were while filming the five franchise films from 2008 through 2012.

Pattinson and Stewart's real-life relationship became the focus of tabloids. In 2020, Pattinson told British GQ he has "terror memories of the paparazzi" because of the level of fame he gained after starring in the romance fantasy saga, which grossed over $3.3 billion worldwide.

Lawrence auditioned for the lead role of Bella in "Twilight," which eventually went to Stewart.

"They turned me down immediately," Lawrence told Simmons, adding, "I didn't even get a callback."

Ultimately, Lawrence took on the role of Katniss Everdeen in four "Hunger Games" films. The actor didn't say who or what guided her decision to star in the franchise.

Combined, the dystopian Lionsgate productions grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide.

A prequel film, "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes," starring Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler, is in theaters November 17. Lawrence is not set to reprise her role.