Katniss Everdeen doesn't need you to defend her

I read this morning that Jennifer Lawrence has been confirmed as Katniss for the movie adaptations of The Hunger Games trilogy. Reading the responses to this news has reminded me why every once in a while I try to swear off reading internet comments altogether.

I am a little disgusted by the hate-spewing at Jennifer and the ridiculous outrage at hiring a light-skinned, blonde woman to play the olive-skinned, dark-haired heroine. How exactly did we get here? To criticize a woman, an actress, a person whose job it is to take on various roles and transform herself and make them convincing to the audience. How dare some random internet commentators say things, like she's too old (she's 4 years Katniss' senior), too blonde, too tall, too fat. (Yes, someone called her fat. Though by District 12 standards, I guess she is.)

How is this acceptable? Comment after comment criticizes her appearance, yet very little about her acting ability. Getting an Academy-Award-nominated actress for this role is more than anyone could have hoped for. Shouldn't the fans be a little more excited that a movie like this is actually getting this sort of clout? And to the people who complain that she "can't act," I'm not sure I understand that sort of attack towards someone nominated for prestigious acting awards like an Oscar and a Globe.

I am puzzled by the angry commenter who said, "Aren't there enough roles for blondes in Hollywood these days?"

I understand frantic fans being protective of their beloved series. From keeping up with blogs and Twitter and various book forums I've learned that everyone had their heart set on some actress or other who LOOKED the part of Katniss. There was no real consensus on one particular actress from what I've read, though some people simply wanted "an unknown that looks like Katniss."

Is appearance really such a big deal, a deal big enough for fans to want to sacrifice a movie being well-acted in favor of someone who naturally looks the part? Isn't it wonderful news to know that the role is going to an actress who can handle the emotional depth of the character, even though she wasn't born with dark hair and olive skin? I would so much rather have a trustworthy actress who can really make me believe she is the Girl on Fire, rather than someone who can dress up and look the part.

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ETA 3/17/11: After being pointed out that this post may be construed as racist, I felt the need to mentally explore this topic a little more.

I understand that some of the frustration has to do with the selection of a white actress for the role of Katniss. It comes to my attention that my support of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss may be construed as racism and support of the white-washing of Hollywood. 

But not all of the frustration has to do with this. Race was never my point, but rather the horrifying insult-hurling at a woman based on her looks. Not factoring race into this post may have unintentionally contributed to racism. This was not my intention.

My intentions for this post was to shake my head at the horrific insult-hurling in Jennifer Lawrence's direction -- it just isn't okay. This post was not intended to agree with the white-washing of Hollywood. Only a handful of the vitriolic comments I've read have had to do with race specifically. My point, really, was to show my incredulousness at the tons of hate slung Jennifer's way and make the case that acting ability should overshadow any sort of physical attributes.

ETA 1/13/12: I removed this post from my blog for several months after a misunderstanding. I've decided to clear it out of my saved posts and publish it again. I've edited to clarify my point - and I hope I've done a good enough job. I wish people could just play nice on the internet.