'Hunger Games': EW Photo Shoot

Many feared that Jennifer Lawrence, the 20-year-old who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance 2010's harshly beautiful indie Winter's Bone, was too old, too blond, too tall, too pale, too pretty to play the part of a teenager fighting to the death in a brutal government-ordered competition. And yet by early May 2011, with one intense week of training left before she was due on the North Carolina set she looked every bit as fierce as fans would demand of their Katniss Everdeen. ''I think I just have to stay tan,'' she told EW's Karen Valby of adjusting to her new hair. ''Or I'll look like the girl from The Ring.''

It was a love-fest when Liam Hemsworth (The Last Song) and Josh Hutcherson (The Kids Are All Right) learned they'd landed the roles of Gale and Peeta, respectively. The guys first met after Hutcherson worked with Hemsworth's big brother, Chris, on an upcoming remake of Red Dawn. Says Hutcherson, ''I sent him a text: 'Dude, we have The Hunger Games! I'm so stoked, man, this is awesome!'''

For more on the men of The Hunger Games, pick up a copy of the August 5, 2011, issue of Entertainment Weekly.

Hutcherson and Lawrence have become playful friends, but he's a little concerned about the payback she might give him for a prank he played on her. ''I'm sure she's going to pay me back,'' says Hutcherson. ''I'm just terrified because she's someone I can see taking it to the next level, and somebody could get hurt.''

Hemsworth and Hutcherson may be rivals on screen, but they bonded hard during their weeks on set together. ''I think it's going to blow people's minds when they see that Peeta and Gale are actually best friends in real life,'' says Hutcherson.

For more on the men of The Hunger Games, pick up a copy of the August 5, 2011, issue of Entertainment Weekly.