Willow Shields is your average teenager despite her roles in The Hunger Games and The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, which comes out in theaters today.
I’m standing outside of a hotel room in the basement of the Georgetown Ritz-Carlton Hotel, anxiously awaiting an interview with The Hunger Games: Catching Fire star Willow Shields, who plays Katniss Everdeen’s sister Primrose, when the young actress’s makeup artist strikes up a conversation with me.
“She is the sweetest, most down-to-earth little girl who has been given an extraordinary opportunity,” she said. “You have nothing to worry about.”
When the time came for me to enter Shields’ hotel room for the interview, I found out for myself that she was right. Though the 13-year-old was dressed to the nines in black-heeled booties, ink-colored skinny jeans and a navy blue sequined top, the young actress’s warm demeanor made me feel as if I was catching up with an old friend rather than interviewing an up-and-coming celebrity and current cover star of Seventeen’s November issue.
However, what surprised me about Shields was how much I, a college student, could relate to her. In spite of her age and newfound fame, Shields is very down-to-earth and maintains a relatively normal life, which includes chores, taking dance classes and hanging out with her family, friends and pets.
“I feel sort of different from other kids [my age], but in the same way I’m still like any other 13-year-old girl,” she said. “I’m not always in L.A. living the Hollywood life.”
In fact, Shields encounters obstacles that college students face every day, such as balancing school and homework with her acting and being away from home.
“It’s kind of hard to balance, but I definitely have to do school every day, even if I’m working on set,” she said.
Shields said she spends at least three to four hours with her tutor on set every day and an additional five hours per week of study time.
Filming also causes Shields to be away from home for extended periods of time.
“When you are away for three months, it can get a little hard,” she said. “[But] The Hunger Games cast has kind of become my family in some ways. It makes it easier when Jen [Lawrence] acts like my sister all the time, but there are still those times when you say, ‘I’m ready to go home.’”
Yet Shields does not regret her choice of missing out on the quintessential teenage experience to act — it’s her passion. “What I always say is when you get older, are you going to say, ‘I’m happy I went to the school party or dance’ or, ‘I’m so happy that I went and filmed this movie for four months and it turned out incredible’?” she said. “You have to decide what is more important to you. For me, it’s acting … and the finished product shows that you had a blast and how dedicated you can be to something.”
Besides, Shields gets her fix of adolescence by reading young adult novels in her free time.
“I’m a huge bookworm,” she said. “My favorite author ever is John Green.”
She also enjoys listening to music and going to concerts; some of her favorite bands include The Black Keys, Modest Mouse, Passion Pit and The xx.
“I really, really want to see Modest Mouse in concert, so badly,” she said. “I got to see Mumford & Sons over the summer, which was really fun.”
Shields hopes to continue acting in the future due to its stressful yet rewarding nature.
“Even if [the cast] has only gotten three hours of sleep, we’re still having fun and we don’t care if we’re tired,” she said. “I think when you get the finished product, and you go to the premiere with all of the cast members, everyone is proud of what they’ve accomplished throughout this movie.”
