Liam Hemsworth's Honest Thoughts On Kissing Jennifer Lawrence In The Hunger Games

While many YA stories center on pertinent societal themes, there also tend to be more emotional storylines — like which guy the central heroine should wind up with. "The Hunger Games" and its sequels saw Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) debate whether she should be with Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) or Gale (Liam Hemsworth). While she ultimately got together with the former, she still locks lips with Gale at one point. And, according to Hemsworth, it was instantly one of the most awkward kissing scenes in the past decade.

During an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," when Hemsworth was asked what his most awkward scene was to film, he humorously said it was kissing Lawrence. He admitted that while it seemed it would be a fun experience in theory, he explained, "If we had a kissing scene, she would make a point of eating garlic or tuna fish or something that was disgusting. Right before the scene, she'd be like, 'Yeah, I ate tuna,' or 'I had garlic, and I didn't brush my teeth.' And I'd be like, 'Fantastic, I can't wait to get in there and taste it!'"

Things weren't much better for Hutcherson. He once described a kissing scene he had with Lawrence as "slobbery," because Katniss was supposed to be crying. So while these scenes might come across as romantic on screen, it sounds like they were a bit of an ordeal to bring to life.

Not to be maligned, Jennifer Lawrence has offered her side of the story on multiple occasions. A 2014 interview with Nylon saw the topic come up, with Lawrence being asked if there was any validity to Liam Hemsworth's claims. She explained, "I wouldn't say that ... I would just kind of eat whatever I wanted; I think the onions that you were referring to was that I just had a sandwich with mustard and raw red onion."

The topic came up again years later during an appearance on "Hot Ones." Most people may have focused on Lawrence spawning a hot sauce bottle-tossing meme in one of the most talked-about movie press moments of 2023, but she was also asked about Hemsworth's story. "It was not intentional," she asserted. "It was just like what I was eating, and then we'd kiss. He should just get over it."

All in all, it sounds like Lawrence eats what she wants, when she wants — as she should. A 2018 cover story for Vanity Fair saw the actor discuss the expectations placed upon her, saying, "For 'Hunger Games,' they told me to lose weight, and then I discovered Jack in the Box." When playing Katniss, Lawrence wanted to "look fit and strong, not thin and underfed." It certainly worked for the film, as she embodied one of the best cinematic protagonists of the 21st century — even if Hemsworth had to contend with some nasty flavors in the process.