When Jennifer Lawrence Lost Her Hearing for a Week While Filming 'The Hunger Games' Sequel

Jennifer Lawrence's depiction of Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games franchise is one of her most recognizable roles. Many movie-goers were impressed by the daring stunt work as well. However, Lawrence's temporary deafness for a full week was also the consequence of a mistake she made during one specific stunt, which had otherwise gone off without a hitch. Although she avoided major injuries during the production of the first Hunger Games film, she lost part of her hearing during the filming of the sequel.

Lawrence reportedly discussed her hearing loss with Vanity Fair. She told the outlet, "I went deaf in one ear for months... But that wasn’t actually physically challenging. It was just ear challenging because I got all of these ear infections from the diving and the water and all of that stuff. And then a jet from one of the cornucopia scenes punctured my eardrum."

Lawrence had to battle with another health issue once she began promoting The Hunger Games: Catching Fire in 2013. She said on GMA that she had been ignoring abdominal pain for weeks and added, "Then I finally had a day where I was like no I need to get this looked at." Lawrence joked that the media propagated claims she had gas, and she chose to run with it. The reason was never pinpointed by the doctors.

She explained to Empire how she lost her hearing during the shoot of Hunger Games. Lawrence revealed, "First, I had to jump into stagnant water for a stunt, which caused a double ear infection. Then I had to jump into water jets, and one jet went into my ear, making a ‘PSHYOOOOOV!’ noise, which made me deaf for a week. But I didn’t go to the doctor…because I’m a genius." She further added, "So I eventually got my hearing back, and now I get this tearing noise every time I yawn. I really should go back to the doctor and ask them what that means. ‘Tell me, is this normal? I’m in pain 24/7. Help me.'"

While promoting No Hard Feelings in June, Jennifer Lawrence told Variety that she would be 'totally' open to returning to her role as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games franchise. She said, "If Katniss ever could ever come back into my life, 100 percent."

However, Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson, who produce the franchise, aren't betting on it happening. Jacobson told Yahoo Entertainment, "If Suzanne [Hunger Games author] has something to say, then she’ll write a book about it. Honestly, as much as I love Katniss, I think her story is complete. And I think that Suzanne feels that her story is complete. But if that changes, and Suzanne has something she wants to say, and it involves Katniss, then I would be thrilled. But really any chance to be back in this world, and lead with Francis and Suzanne, I would take regardless of who it was about."