“She felt almost like an entirely different character because she is so stripped down and feeling so empty. It’s something that truly does happen to people after traumatic events like she’s been through. Katniss still has the same core, but she’s in a completely different place inside and out. She goes into the propos feeling like a pawn, like the Mockingjay is just a symbol she’s not connected to or passionate about,” Lawrence says. “The whole idea of the propos is to get people fired up, to band together – so Katniss faking at being something that she’s not doesn’t work. It’s only when she sees the human cost in District 8 that a true spark is ignited. The more she sees, the more it becomes a personal fight for her.”
Josh Hutcherson:
Returning in the role of Peeta Mellark is Josh Hutcherson, who knew this film would be different. “Where Peeta goes as a character is really dark and really intense,” he says. “It’s actually what I was most looking forward to as an actor from reading the books.” Hutcherson notes that when Katniss first sees Peeta on TV, she has no way of knowing what is going on with him, which only leaves her feeling even more unanchored and unhinged. “Now that she knows he’s alive, but seeing the state he’s in, and she hears what he is saying - she doesn’t know if he’s a good guy anymore or if he’s completely turned and now believes the words he’s saying in support of the Capitol.”
Sam Claflin:
Once renown across Panem for his gleaming smile and high-spirits, Finnick now collides with ghastly news at the start of the film. ""Finnick finds out that the love of his life, Ànnie Cresta, has been kidnapped alongside Peeta and Johanna," Sam Claflin, who debuted in the charismatic role in Catching Fire explains "That puts him in a very, very vulnerable position, and he doesn't really know how to deal with that loss." Claflin goes on: "What's incredible about Mockingjay is that it picks up at a point when everything has changed drastically, and every character you care about has seemingly gone to hell and back. They hope that they had escaped from their lives as tributes, but they're actually confined even tighter, Now, they're in this very regimented, new world of District 13 and it is quite disorienting. I see Finnick as being very broken at the beginning of Mockingjay, but he starts to find his feet again. For Claflin, Finnick's turmoil was a chance to dig deeper and expose more shadings inside the character. "You find out that everything you knew about Finnick, all his bravado and verve, has been largely for show," he comments. "I think for any actor, playing the underside of a beloved character is incredìbly interesting' There are moments where he flashes a smile where you'll remember he's still the old Finnick, with all those elements everyone knows and loves, but at the same time, there's a new side I get to reveal."
Liam Hemsworth:
Gale “has reached the tipping point.” Hemsworth explains: “He’s had enough as far as The Capitol’s abuse goes, so he’s not scared to stand up to it. He feels ready to go to war, in spite of the costs, to try to take down The Capitol.” Gale becomes a driving force behind Katniss consenting to appear in the propos films for District 13. “He knows that they have to spread the word that the Mockingjay is alive and that only she can bring people together to stand up to The Capitol,” Hemsworth explains.
Willow Shields:
"My character has evolved so much," observes Willow Shields. "Prim started out a scared child afraid to lose her sister and best friend but now she has become her own
strong person who can really be there for Katniss." Jacobson notes that Shields plays an essential part in Katniss's evolution. "It's Prim who reminds Katniss of her power and tells her that she can make her own demands when she agrees to be the Mockingjay."
More than ever, Prim is also a confidante for Katniss as she grapples with becoming a leader - helping her through her darkest nights. "Prim knows that Katniss feels responsible for all the people who have lost their lives, that she's struggling with post-traumatic stress from the Games, and with the fact that she still wants to take care of Prim and their mom as war is breaking out. But I feel like Prim now has a unique ability to stand behind Katniss, and you get to see almost a kind of role reversal between them," For Shields getting a chance to do all that with Jennifer Lawrence was truly exciting. "With each movie, I feel like we have connected more and more," she says. "It's always so fun to be around her, but she is also so smart and sophisticated. She's constantly teaching me."
Woody Harrelson:
“Haymitch’s thing before was always to emotionally detach himself from the people he was mentoring,” explains Harrelson. “He truly sees how much he loves Katniss and Peeta, and he realizes they’ve become a kind of family to him, in a very real sense.” Haymitch feels a need to continue to drive Katniss to what he sees as her destiny, no matter how difficult it is to watch her in her anguished state of mind. He is the one who suggests putting her into real peril in the propos videos, knowing the degree to which she can inspire others by her authentic reactions to the world. “He knows exactly how to let the world see Katniss at her best,” Harrelson explains.
Banks was as surprised as anyone to return as Effie. “I was just so flattered that people enjoy this character as much as they do,” she says. The actress was thrilled by the chance to take Effie into unexpected territory, carving glamour out of the stark, grey-shaded conformity of District 13. “Effie is a true fish out of water in District 13, without her Capitol comforts,” Banks muses. “But of course, she needs to feel fabulous wherever she is, so she applies her style to District 13 and has a little fun with it.” It’s an act of courage for Effie. “In her own way, Effie rebels against the stringency of District 13 by showing her individuality. That’s important to her and an important theme for the movie, because it goes to show that the people in The Capitol are not all evil. Effie might disdain District 13, but she is also grateful to be there rather than feeling the wrath of President Snow.”
Julianne Moore:
“What amazed me about what Suzanne Collins did with the books is that she wrote a story that has so many substantive things to say about who we are as human beings, how we relate to one another and what standing up for what’s right means,” says Moore. “I was intrigued by Coin because I was very interested in her evolution as a leader.”
Donald Sutherland:
“Katniss never wanted a war, with all its suffering, and yet that is what her character appears to have started,” explains Sutherland. “Snow understands the effect that will have on her, just as he knows that he can get to her emotions through Peeta.” Sutherland sees Snow as playing a game with Katniss, although one with very real consequences for the entirety of Panem. The Golden Globe® Award-winning star observes. “He loves being able to play a shifting chess game with that rare opponent who is truly his match. He doesn’t want her to succeed, of course, but he so enjoys her spirit, he enjoys the game."
Stanley Tucci:
"Caesar is now very clearly a puppet for The Capitol regime, which I think is really interesting. People like him have existed forever in every political administration, but he is as bold as they come." Tucci loved portraying Flickerman's flamboyance, "It is the kind of thing that you don't often get to do as actor, this kind of very theatrical performance on film. Caesar is at once horrifying and charming and funny and repellant and it's great."
Director Francis Lawrence:
“Emotionally, Katniss is like a foreigner in a strange land as this story begins. This is the time when she realizes she can’t stand by and do nothing. There has been too much deception and the people Katniss loves are in danger. She will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.” The director continues: “The stakes have always been high in The Hunger Games but now the entire world opens up. The Games themselves are gone, but threat of oppression now permeates all of Panem. This chapter gave us a chance to reveal entirely new locations with amazing action sequences. It’s a gigantic movie.”Producer Nina Jacobson:
In thinking about Katniss and reflecting on one of her favorite scenes, producer Nina Jacobson notes: “When Katniss goes to District 8 and says, ‘If we burn, you burn with us,’ for the first time she sees the impact that she has on people. Those moments – where Katniss owns what and who she is – really give me the chills. It’s a very tense and powerful story and the emotions on screen are surprisingly deep,” concludes the producer. “It takes you to places you will not expect to be taken. It’s provocative, thoughtful and up to the last minutes of the film, the way it unfolds is shocking.”Producer Jon Kilik:
“There’s really nothing in this movie that you’ve seen before of Panem,” notes producer Jon Kilik. “You’re immersed into District 13 – the one place no one outside has seen, the place no one except The Capitol even knew still existed. It’s a whole new journey for the audience. We’ve been through jungles and plagues in the Games but now to be living miles underground, things are even more intense and it puts an even greater pressure on the characters."The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 will be dedicated to the loving memory of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who played Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games film series.
You can download the full Production Notes document here for so much more details about the film.
Thanks QuarterQuell for the tip.
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