'Games' was almost too big for Jennifer Lawrence

• Jennifer Lawrence almost turned down 'The Hunger Games.'
• She was worried that the role was too "huge"

This year, The Hunger Games grossed $408 million domestically. Not bad at all. Just don't mention those eye-popping, accountant-pleasing numbers to Jennifer Lawrence, who headlines the franchise.

Lawrence plays freedom fighter Katniss Everdeen, a role that's iconic thanks to the best-selling dystopian trilogy that inspired the film series.

"It's so huge. It's why I almost didn't take the movie. It's a character that can very easily overpower the rest of my characters. I don't want to do something that's kind of similar. I haven't really done that many movies," she says.

"It's such an awesome things to be part of something that speaks to so many young kids about something that actually matters, about what one young person can actually do. I feel like I'm part of an important message and that feels good. It feels nice."

She's currently shooting the second installment of the series, Catching Fire. But Lawrence is also focused on her post-Games pursuits. She's a hot commodity this awards season thanks to Silver Linings Playbook, opening later this month. And she'd like to someday boss around other actors.

"I want to have a production company. Sometimes I read a script and wonder, how is this not being made? And I drive past the billboards and the movies that are being made – it's just so infuriating. I want to change that, hopefully. I've always wanted to direct," she says. "I'm decisive but I'm also insecure. That would make me a great director. (I'd say), 'This is definitely what I want. But wait. Is this what I want?'"