Katniss 'Real' Age in Hunger Games Makes This Scene Way More Creepy

Woody Harrelson's character Haymitch Abernathy is just one of the many reasons The Hunger Games movies have enjoyed such immense popularity. Being District 12's only surviving winner of the Hunger Games, he acts as a coach to Katniss and Peeta, who come from his home district.

Now in his 40s, Haymitch is an irreverent, flawed, and psychologically damaged drunk — but somehow, thanks to Harrelson's charisma and his brilliant lines, he is also infinitely charming in his cynical downfall.

Although he and Katniss have conflicting personalities, they always work towards the same goals, so Haymitch can squabble with Katniss without getting branded a villain, which adds an extra layer of complexity to the story.

However, sometimes Haymitch's lines veer into cringe and/or creepiness. This may be intentional at some points, given that Haymitch drinks heavily as he suffers from the trauma he's developed from his participation in the games and coaching other contestants. But then there are other lines that may not shock you at first but are actually very creepy — especially if you take into account other important details, such as the characters' age.

In the first film, Haymitch tells Katniss that Peeta's comments about her made her look 'desirable.' Any regular viewer's reaction to this is probably 'duh' — because Katniss is portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence, 21 at the time, and the actress' good looks were likely one of the reasons she was cast for the role.

What's more, her character comes off as a tough action heroine, which also automatically pegs her as an adult in the eyes of the audience.

But you might see this scene and Haymitch's comment in a different light if you think about how old the characters are in the books.

It turns out Katniss is supposed to be only 16 at the time she is picked for the Hunger Games, and her coach is over twice her age, which certainly renders his comment creepily inappropriate.

So that scene caused considerable discomfort for both Katniss and part of the movie's audience, coming off as an unnecessarily faux pas on the part of the writers — after all, Haymitch was never actually interested in Katniss, except as in someone whose survival he wanted to ensure.