Alan Ritchson Details The Original “Gruesome” Hunger Games Death & Admits How Awkward The Final Cut Looks

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire star Alan Ritchson details the gnarly detail originally intended for his character Gloss. Gloss was a District 1 citizen and former Hunger Games winner who was reaped to compete in the games again as per the new rules for the Third Quarter Quell. During the 75th Hunger Games, he is killed alongside his sister, Cashmere, after he eliminated Wiress, Katniss’ ally from District Three. Although Catching Fire shows him being struck on the chest by Katniss’ arrow, the movie nearly had a different version.

In an interview with WIRED, Ritchson detailed how his character was intended to die in Catching Fire. Gloss was supposed to be shot in the face, which impacted how the actor acted during the scene. Because of the change, it looks like his “head snapped back like an idiot.” Read his full response below:

I was a guy that slit that little old lady’s throat. Actually, I took an arrow to the face. So, I played it like it was to the face. And then, I think they decided in post that was a little too gruesome to take an arrow to the face by Katniss, so they changed it to my chest. But, I didn’t shoot it that way. I didn’t shoot it like I was taking a shot to the chest. My head snapped back like an idiot, and the thing went in my chest, and I’m like this. Who does that? I would have died like that.”

What Gloss’ Death Meant For Catching Fire

The Original Death Followed The Book

Ritchson’s reveal is important since it addresses one change from the book. In the Catching Fire book, Gloss is killed by Katniss after he takes out Wiress. However, Katniss aimed her arrow at his temple, unlike in the movie where he is struck in the chest. Now, it’s clear that the movie almost went with Gloss’ original death from the book. However, this death was likely altered so that Catching Fire would maintain its PG-13 rating, where a headshot would have been too violent. Otherwise, if the film had kept the original version, it’s possible the MPA would have given an R-rating for the intense and gory violence.

Gloss’s death in Catching Fire may not have turned out how it was intended, but it nonetheless shows Katniss’ true nature and the evolution of her character. She is fiercely protective of her friends and family and has already survived one trip to the Hunger Games arena, making her willing to kill when necessary. In Catching Fire, when Gloss kills Wiress, Katniss instinctively returns the “favor” by shooting him with an arrow. She acts not only out of self-defense but also to avenge her ally.

Our Take On Gloss’ Death

It Would Have Been Too Brutal For The Film’s PG-13 Rating

There is no doubt that the original death would be too intense for Catching Fire‘s PG-13 rating. While Katniss’ decision to fire her bow would have been brutal no matter where the arrow landed, sending it through Gloss’ chest was a less graphic way to kill off the character.

Still, given that the shot to the head was also in the book, and that was the original intent, I wonder if there is a cut where they did have the initial version. While it’s typical for adapted movies to make remarkable changes from the source content, Gloss’ changed death thankfully didn’t have too much of an effect, other than just readers wondering what the initial cut could have looked like in Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Source: WIRED