When adapting a book for the big screen, especially one as beloved as “The Hunger Games,” you can’t satisfy everyone, but director Gary Ross and the casting crew probably weren’t expecting this.
When it came to the casting of Rue, Thresh, and Cinna, many viewers were perplexed as to why black actors were selected in those roles. Cinna’s skin color isn’t mentioned in the novel, therefore even though Lenny Kravitz was cast, the role might have been portrayed by a white, Asian, or Latino actor.
The blog Jezebel pointed out that a Tumblr site called Hunger Games Tweets has been gathering tweets reacting to the casting in a post titled “Racist Hunger Games Fans Are Very Disappointed,”
Rue, a 12-year-old tribute from District 11 who competes with heroine Katniss Everdeen in the film’s homicidal tournament, is played by Amandla Stenberg, who is 13 years old. Stenberg’s mother is African-American, while her father is Danish, according to Wikipedia. She also starred in the film “Colombiana” which was released in 2011.
Fans rallied behind Stenberg and Kravitz (the hashtag #LeaveRueAlone trended), as well as actor Dayo Okeniyi, who played the role Thresh who is also black.
“Why does Rue have to be black not gonna lie kinda ruined the movie,” one fan remarked on the Tumblr “Hunger Games Tweets”
“Kk call me racist but when I found out Rue was black her death wasnt as sad #ihatemyself,” said another.
“I feel so bad for #AmandlaStenberg she did a great job and ppl are idiots,” one person said on Twitter.
Another described the “Awkward moment when Rue is some black girl and not the little innocent blonde girl you picture,” while another said: “I was pumped about the Hunger Games. Until I learned a black girl was playing Rue.”
Comedian Paul F. Tompkins tweeted the following: Should I see the Hunger Games movie? Bear in mind I haven’t read the books and I’m not a tween racist.
Another Twitter user commented on Okeniyi’s casting: “Naturally Thresh would be a black man. #NotImpressed.”
According to the Associated Press, the picture generated $155 million in its first weekend in the United States, making it the third greatest weekend debut after Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 ($169.2 million) and The Dark Knight ($158.4 million).
As word of the Jezebel article and the Tumblr link spread, there was a response on Twitter condemning racist beliefs.
Michelle Juett wrote, “People disgust me. Rue was great, whatever race you thought she was supposed to be.”
Suzanne Collins, the book’s author and a white woman, praised the film as well.
“I’m really happy with how it turned out, she wrote on the movie’s Facebook page. I feel like the book and the film are individual yet complementary pieces that enhance one another.”
