The Hunger Games Kiss That Wasn't Supposed To Happen

The Hunger Games, based on the novel of the same name by Suzanne Collins, came out in 2012 and was then followed by four sequels. The films take place in a future dystopian version of North America, a nation called Panem, which is ruled by the Capitol and is made up of 12 districts. The Capitol forces the districts to send one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to participate in the annual Hunger Games, in which the participants fight to the death. When Katniss Everdeen's (Jennifer Lawrence) younger sister Prim (Willow Shields) is picked, Katniss volunteers to take her place.

Two of the story's supporting characters are Haymitch Abernathy, played by Woody Harrelson, and Effie Trinket, played by Elizabeth Banks. Haymitch is a former winner of the Hunger Games and current alcoholic from District 12, who must act as mentor to the tributes of his district — making him Katniss' mentor. Effie is a Capitol-born chaperone, who has been assigned to District 12.

In the film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, these two characters share a surprising moment when they kiss, which was not in the script.

Harrelson admitted to Entertainment Tonight that the kiss was totally spontaneous and that it stemmed from a crush he has on the actress. "I have a crush on Elizabeth Banks, I'm not going to lie. I think she's a beautiful woman, I think she's a marvelous actress, and I just love her as a person. She's as fun as can be," he said.

He elaborated that it was a surprise to more than just any future moviegoers — Banks herself was kept in the dark about it. "She didn't know I was even going to do it, and I just kissed her. She's such a pro," he said. Harrelson then joked that maybe their relationship could pick up in another (unplanned) film, stating, "When we did it, it wasn't like just a light thing where we thought it was nothing. Hopefully, once we do the sequel to this that no one's expecting — including the author — something will pick up for these two."

While there is another film in the Hunger Games universe in the works, it won't be about Haymitch and Effie, much to Harrelson's — and fans' — disappointment.