Hunger Games' Jennifer Lawrence Talks "Basketball Buddy" Nicholas Hoult and What Got Liam Hemsworth Punching Mad!

On the eve of the blockbuster's premiere, Katniss herself chats with Ryan Seacrest about her "terrible self-esteem" and opens up about her love life

By Gina Serpe Mar 22, 2012 4:32 PMTags
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The Hunger Games may already be poised to be the Biggest Thing Ever, and with it, leading lady Jennifer Lawrence.

So we'll forgive her for being slightly cagey with the press when it comes to her personal life, specifically her romance with British actor Nicholas Hoult.

But her deflections proved no match for master questioner Ryan Seacrest, who this morning managed to pry some juicy information out of Hollywood's hottest property, not only on her love life, but also on what got her costar Liam Hemsworth ready to throw a punch last night. And you'll never believe at whom…

Himself!

"He did something hilarious last night," Lawrence told Seacrest on his KISS-FM radio show this morning. "We were walking in this hotel and there was this wall of mirrors, and he started going like, 'What's this guy want walking so close to me?' and almost punched his reflection in the face."

We're sure anecdotal payback will be a you-know-what when Hemsworth chats with Seacrest tomorrow morning.

As for Lawrence's real-life leading man, well, Seacrest did manage to squeeze some details out of her on that front, too.

"I knew you would do this," she said after Seacrest brought up the better half she's previously been careful to keep out of interviews.

"This is your thing, isn't it? We're just basketball buddies," she joked about Hoult. "We just love playing basketball."

And her one-on-one partner is suitably proud of her blockbuster-to-be.

Gaz Shirley, PacificCoastNews.com

"The people who know me have been very nice to my face, fortunately. I don't know what is going on behind my back, but my family and friends and everybody seem to like it."

Which is good, since J.Law herself has been busily downplaying the considerable hype.

"I'm in complete denial about everything," she said. "I'm still going about my life as if everything is totally normal. I'm just ignoring all of it. I'm excited and nervous, but mostly excited now."

And if she had to pinpoint her least favorite part of the movie?

"I genuinely watch myself and hate everything," she said. "I hate how I always look, how I talk, what I say, how I act, and everything about myself. It's genuine! It's real!"

But she also offered a mea culpa: "I'm sorry! No, I'm really excited, but I just have terrible self-esteem!"

Well, if this weekend doesn't change that, we're not sure what will.