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Jennifer Lawrence, the newest action star?

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games."
Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in "The Hunger Games." Lionsgate

(CBS News) If "The Hunger Games" weekend box office numbers are any indication, it seems that actress Jennifer Lawrence can carry a film. But is she the next female action star?

Pictures: Jennifer Lawrence
Pictures: "Hunger Games" cast in NYC

In the film, Lawrence plays the 16-year-old heroine Katniss Everdeen, who supports her family and isn't afraid of staring death in the face. The character is also incredibly skilled with a bow and arrow, a skill Lawrence herself had to learn.

The 21-year-old trained twice a day to prepare for the film. Her training included speed and agility drills, archery and much more, the actress' trainer told MTV.

Lawrence also worked with the stunt crew, who taught the actress to climb trees, scale rocks, and jump logs to become the heroine, according to Us Weekly.

While Lawrence tried to do as many of her own stunts as possible, she had to leave some to the professionals.

"Some of the very dangerous ones, like falling out of a tree and landing on the ground and rolling down mountains and things like that, were all stunt doubles, but I did train in preparation to do all of the stunts and then the day of [filiming] we decided what was too risky and what would take too long if I did it," Lawrence told The Ridge Review.

So does Lawrence's tough yet vulnerable portrayal of Everdeen in "The Hunger Games" earn her a spot among actresses-turned-action stars Angelina Jolie, Sigourney Weaver and Uma Thurman?

What do you think?


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