We’re used to stars gushing about each other but Donald Sutherland has gone one step further – comparing Jennifer Lawrence to Jesus.

The two acted together in The Hunger Games films and it’s fair to say the veteran actor is extremely impressed.

Donald Sutherland
Donald Sutherland (PA)

“When I worked with her, I realised the child was a genius,” Donald, who plays President Snow in the Hunger Games movies, told E! News.

“She’s the right person at the right time in the sense of Joan of Arc or Jesus Christ, any genius, in that sense.”

J-Law after her Oscar win
J-Law after her Oscar win (PA)

He said her acting work “hits you in your heart, your solar plexus and your mind,” adding: “And she has the genius of person to be not affected by all of this. She’s just a real girl.”

Meanwhile, a new interview with J-Law and co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth has been released online to mark the UK release of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1.

Asked about having some new cast, such as Natalie Dormer and Julianne Moore, in the latest Hunger Games film, Josh joked: “It was a good break from these two.”