About Cinna
Cinna is a character from Suzanne Collins' popular book series The Hunger Games. He is Katniss Everdeen's stylist, responsible for her public appearance, and we are introduced to his character in book one, The Hunger Games. Cinna is very different to the other inhabitants of the Capitol. He does not use surgery to alter his features, wears simple black clothes, and has just a thin streak of gold eyeliner. He is described as having closely cropped dark brown hair, and green eyes (the eyeliner brings out the gold flecks in his eyes).
Cinna is in his first year as a stylist for the Hunger Games, and he specifically requests to be assigned to District 12. His audacious designs immediately win over the audience in favour of the District 12 tributes. Despite (or perhaps because of) his professional interest in image, Cinna proves to be better than most at seeing through the superficial spectacle of the Games to their barbaric core, "using [Katniss's] outfits as a vehicle to express potentially dangerous ideas". He and Katniss establish an easy, comfortable relationship and he demonstrates a genuine concern for her well-being. Cinna is the one that coins Katniss's nickname "The Girl on Fire".
In the second book Catching Fire, Cinna dresses Katniss once again for her interview before the next Games. However, the dress he creates resembles a mockingjay, a symbol of the rebellion in Panem. Because of this, right before Katniss is due to the enter the arena for the Quarter Quell, Cinna is savagely beaten in front of her. Later we discover that he was tortured to death.
Cinna is portrayed in The Hunger Games film by actor and singer Lenny Kravitz. Many people were surprised that the character was being portrayed by an African-American, however it is never specified in the books what skin colour Cinna has. Kravitz did a commendable job in his minor role.
I love Cinna for several reasons. I love that he's so real in the superficial world of the Capitol. He becomes a good friend and mentor to Katniss - "I'm betting on you" - and he is not afraid to push the boundaries on his designs (which unfortunately, does get him killed in the end). I pictured Cinna as 'white' in my head when I first read the book, and I think it was because of his green eyes. But now that I've seen Kravitz in the film, I picture him with dark skin. It's one of those funny things - since it was unclear in the book what skin colour he had, fanart of the character consists of a strange mixture of light and dark-skinned Cinnas! In essence, it doesn't really matter what colour his skin is, because he is a wonderful character at heart and it is a shame that Collins killed him off :(
Links:
+ Wikipedia
+ Cinna fanart by: friedChicken365