The role might have recently gone to Jennifer Lawrence, but there was a point in time when "Sucker Punch" star Emily Browning might have played District 12 champion Katniss Everdeen in the upcoming Lionsgate adaptation of "The Hunger Games."
"I read for ['Hunger Games'] a couple of times, but I've never read the book, to be honest -- which I know is terrible of me," Browning said in an interview with the Playlist. "I was nervous about it."
Despite the fact Browning started out her acting career as one of the leads in an adaptation of a popular children's series, it was that experience that turned her off from moving on to starring in the young-adult genre. She admitted that there was a period of time between when she filmed 2004's "Lemony Snicket's A Series ofUnfortunate Events" and when she agreed to come onboard Friday's "Sucker Punch" that she seriously considered quitting acting altogether.
It was during that time that she found out "Twilight" author Stephenie Meyer said she would be the perfect Bella Swan for the upcoming adaptation of the novel, but Browning wasn't ready to commit to a franchise.
"I was just exhausted, and I was like, 'I'm sorry, but I just can't sign onto a trilogy right now,' " Browning told MTV News in 2009, after she finished "The Uninvited." "To be honest, if I had gone on to do the film straight after 'The Uninvited,' I would not have been a good Bella . and I'm hoping people realize that now."
But it was the fact that she was vilified for reportedly turning down the "Twilight" role that caused Browning to remain so hush-hush about trying out for "Hunger Games."
"It's always hard for me to talk about these kinds of things, because I know there was a big deal with 'Twilight' and my involvement with people wanting me to do 'Twilight,' so I'm always like, 'Oh, people love this book so much, I don't want to get involved, I don't want to talk about it!' " Browning explained. "I read for ['Hunger Games'] a couple of times, but I think every single girl in Hollywood read for it a couple of times, to be honest."
Would you have liked to see Emily Browning play Katniss Everdeen or Bella Swan? Sound off below!
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