INTERVIEW: Director Francis Lawrence Talks About Jennifer Lawrence's Acting In 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1'

Director Francis Lawrence has a new interview with LA Times' Hero Complex Magazine, where he talks about Jennifer Lawrence's incredible, intentional lousy acting while filming the propos in Mockingjay Part 1, the untimely passing of Philip Seymour Hoffman who played Plutarch Heavensbee in the films, and Julianne Moore's portrayal of President Coin.
Producer of The Hunger Games franchise, Nina Jacobson, also talks briefly about adapting the third book in Suzanne Collins' best-selling trilogy into the big screen.
Francis on Jennifer Lawrence's acting:

In a barren Georgia warehouse on a cold January day, Jennifer Lawrence was doing something unusual for the young Oscar winner. She was acting very, very badly.
Lawrence was filming a scene for “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1,” in which her strident archer Katniss Everdeen was attempting to summon righteous indignation for a propaganda piece designed to stoke a nascent uprising. 

Katniss may be many things — a fierce warrior, a devoted sister, a reluctant symbol of hope — but a talented thespian she is not, and Lawrence was giving it her all. 

“She was very good at it,” director Francis Lawrence recalled of his star’s ability to turn in an intentionally lousy performance. “We had a bunch of variations, but we didn’t want to go too far. Some were really broad and funny but not quite tonally right for the movie…. It was a nice couple of days of laughter on set.”

Francis on Philip Seymour Hoffman's untimely death:

“It was really rough,” Lawrence said. “We went dark. It happened on a Sunday, and we couldn’t get everybody together on the Monday. We reorganized the schedule…. We kind of eased everybody back into work. It was also after one of those freezes. It was 10 degrees and miserable.”

Francis on Julianne Moore's ideas in portraying President Coin:

“Julianne had a few ideas on how to play her,” Lawrence said. “There was a quiet strength; that was one of the big things that she wanted, so you’ll notice that Coin speaks sort of softly. There’s, I guess you would say, a warmth that you might not get from her in the book that Julianne wanted to bring.”

Nina Jacobson on adapting Mockingjay into the big screen:

What we’ve tried to preserve from Suzanne’s books is a sense of a story, which is at every turn informed by the trials and tribulations of these characters,” Jacobson said. “I think Francis has proven extraordinary at doing that and being able to balance… spectacle and intimacy. It’s great to try to hold on to real human experience as much as possible.”

Head over to Hero Complex to read more from the interviews including quotes from Jennifer Lawrence.
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