To learn archery for “The Hunger Games,” Lawrence had the honor of studying under Olympian Khatuna Lorig, the Georgia-born athlete who represented Team USA at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. She won a bronze medal that year. Lorig, a dual citizen, also represented Georgia at the Olympic Games in 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2012. She would go on to win medals at other world championships over the years, most recently winning gold and silver at the 2019 Pan Am Games.
As a teacher, Lorig effectively taught Lawrence how to handle a recurve bow (ie: the type of bow that bends away from the archer when the string is removed). Lawrence took a crash course, and Lorig was tough on her students. Regardless, Lawrence said she found the experience positive, even if one of her arms seemed to lengthen as a result. she says:
“I really, really like archery. I have a great trainer, Khatuna. She’s Georgian. She’s a great trainer – very, very strict. If I have bad form, she pinches my ears. She doesn’t Didn’t really put up with anything. It totally changed my body. It was so crazy, when I went back to fitting for the second movie Catching Fire, my shoulders were two inches wider and my right arm was an inch longer than my left , I guess permanently. But I really like it.”
Lawrence also admitted on “Fresh Air” that blockbusters like “The Hunger Games” aren’t on her radar as an actress, opting instead for smaller, standalone episodes. Katniss was a major transition for her, and a major one at that. Lawrence holds the Guinness World Record for the highest-grossing actress.