As the final Hunger Games movie arrives, the franchise's stars reflect on what the films have meant to them and the wider world with Leena Tailor.
The Hunger Games franchise takes its final bow with Mockingjay Part 2.
The films, based on the Suzanne Collins' young adult books, have broken box office records, coined the term "Generation K" (after lead character Katniss Everdeen) and helped turn the movies' young cast into global stars. They are battling the end of an era as much off-screen as on.
"For all of us it's extremely emotional, coming to an end," says Australian actor Liam Hemsworth, who plays Gale. "It was such a crazy world to be thrown into and an amazing project to be part of and grow up doing together.
"I think about the person I was then and the person I am now and we've grown up and changed so much."
Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne in a scene from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
"I started when I was 10, didn't know how to form a sentence and was missing some teeth," adds 15-year-old Willow Shields, who plays Prim. "Going from 10 to 15 and filming a movie every year was an incredible experience, so it's very sad to not have that anymore."
Of course, for its leading star Jennifer Lawrence - taking on the role of a teen volunteering to take her sister's spot in a reality television-like battle where children fight each other to death - life has inarguably changed the most since the first movie debuted three years ago.
A young actress on the indie film scene, she was reluctant to transition into studio blockbusters, her rapid rise making her respected and sought-after in Hollywood.
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen tries to take down President Snow in the final Hunger Games film.
She has since nabbed an Academy Award for her role opposite Bradley Cooper in The Silver Linings Playbook, won a Guinness World Record for highest-grossing action heroine and found herself somewhat of a spokeswoman for young women in film. Asked whether there are more opportunities for females in Hollywood today, the 25-year-old admits she hasn't had to face the challenges of most actresses her age.
"I would hope there is. I was having a conversation with somebody about the struggles of weight in the industry - I know that's something I talk about non-stop - but they said that all of us main movie stars aren't underweight.
"I said, 'Yeah, because once you get to a certain place, people will hire you and they just want you in their movie, so they don't care.'
"It's more about the struggle for the actors and actresses who have not made it to that point where they're hireable no matter what, and there's a lot of pressure on them.
"I'm not at a place where I can complain or speak of not getting enough roles, because I'm very lucky and have had a lot of opportunities."
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen, Mahershala Ali as Boggs, and Liam Hemsworth Gale Hawthorne.
Lawrence hopes the conclusion of the Hunger Games saga will open viewers' eyes to the story's messages about the consequences of war and the role the younger generation needs to play in shaping society's future.
"This is a fictional story about a fictional government, but at the bare minimum we hope an audience, especially a young audience, will walk away from these movies thinking about war and not following the feet in front of you.
"We're trying to inspire people to think."
With the third book split into two films, both directed by Francis Lawrence, Mockingjay Part 1 set the stage for war against the Capitol and the story now culminates in Katniss declaring, "Snow has to pay for what he's done," and leading a rebellion against the ruthless Panem leader, played by Donald Sutherland.
Donald Sutherland as President Snow in a scene from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
Just as Lawrence has become a reluctant megastar off-screen, Katniss has hesitantly adopted her power and influence over the course of the films.
"I don't think there's hope of a revolution at the beginning of Katniss' story," says Lawrence. "She was just trying to save her sister. Then she was trying to save herself, then Peeta.
"Waking up in District 13 changed things and losing Peeta changed things. She grows into her position and takes control of the revolution. Something that I really love about the second movie was when she takes power and decides that she does want to be the Mockingjay and that she does believe in this cause - but it took many years to get there."
Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark in the film, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2.
Josh Hutcherson, who plays Peeta, adds that war and conflict aren't the only modern-day issues reflected in the film.
He hopes Collins' commentary on modern society will ring some warning bells.
"You have the power of the media, its influence over people and how powerful a tool - or a weapon - that can be. You have the dangers of extreme control and the suppression of culture through the government.
"Glorified violence is another thing, especially in the first couple of Hunger Games. And also the dangers of that separation between the 99 per cent and the 1 per cent and how that disparity is growing - it's a bit of a cautionary tale about the way things could go."
