While originally appearing to be just a drunken a-hole, Haymitch soon proves himself as the most capable mentor in The Games.
And although Woody Harrelson likely isn’t a big fan of young adult novels, one would assume that Haymitch’s appeal was on the page of the first film’s script.
The role of Haymitch is perhaps the fourth largest character in the entire Hunger Games franchise, after the three leads involved in the love triangle.
And while some of the other supporting characters were killed off in the process of the following three films, Haymitch’s part just became more important.