“As everyone knows, Gale is an enormous part of Katniss’ life, but he’s not as big a part of the first book as he is the subsequent books,” the director told us. “I think he’s very, very present and he’s tremendously important, but of course we shift into the Capitol and then the arena, where Peeta ends up playing a more prominent role. But he’s in her head, he’s in her life, he’s something that echoes with her throughout the games, as any reader of the book knows, so he plays an obviously prominent role.”
— Gary Ross, on Gale’s voiceover