Fans (nearly a thousand) packed Seattle’s University Village Saturday to see the stars of The Hunger Games.
Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson will play Katniss, Gale and Peeta. All three leads were at this final stop on The Hunger Games Tour in Seattle.
I had the opportunity to interview the stars about the film and reaction to the fans.
These new photos of the event courtesy Josh Lewis of Seattle Pulp.
Fans packed Seattle’s University Village for a chance to meet the stars of The Hunger Games who will play Katniss, Peeta and Gale. Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth made young fans erupt into a frenzy like tributes arriving in the Capitol. This was the finale of a mall tour to promote the upcoming adaptation of the first book in the trilogy by Suzanne Collins.
The first 100 fans won the golden ticket. Some families had been waiting more than 24 hours for this opportunity. These most devoted fans came to be face to face with the stars of the book they love and went home with an autographed poster in an exclusive session inside the Microsoft Store. Some girls were overcome and walked away trembling and sobbing uncontrollably into the arms of their smiling parents.
You could feel the anticipation and excitement as hundreds waited outside for the live Q & A session to begin. Sudden waves of screams and panic erupted with the possibility that the stars could arrive at any moment. When the actors did exit the Microsoft Store and move onto the stage the adoring fans absolutely lost control. Screams were deafening. Declarations of love for Josh or Liam pierced through the madness.
Local girls asked Josh to be their prom date. Jennifer was asked the preference of which co-star is hotter. We learned Jennifer did her own shooting movie. The actress learned archery to display the skills of Katniss in the arena.
In an earlier interview session I asked the leads did they imagine the insanity of the tour, the passion of the fans and rock star treatment they’re being showered with now. Josh Hutcherson reacted to the screaming and sighing but “just wants to make a great movie and hope they like it.”
The majority of elated fans were on Team Gale or Team Peeta. I asked Jennifer Lawrence about the relationship between Katniss and Cinna, the stylist who becomes her mentor. While filming X-Men: First Class Lawrence (who played Raven/Mystique) became friends with co-star Zoe Kravitz (who played Angel) and developed a friendship with her dad, rock star Lenny Kravitz. She says that helped their on-screen rapport.
Woody Harrelson plays Haymitch Abernathy. The Hunger Games champion of District 12 must train Katniss and Peeta. I asked the young cast about the charismatic actor and his performance. Liam Hemsworth shared that Haymitch was his favorite character.
The screams and shouts of love echoed even as the stars waved goodbye. The young leads thrilled the audience and made teen dreams come true. The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.
Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, The Full Monty, 127 Hours) is writing the sequel to The Hunger Games. Beaufoy is fine tuning the script for Catching Fire. He tells 24 frames he’s charmed by the trilogy’s author, Suzanne Collins, and her knowledge for warfare.
“She’s fascinating,” said Beaufoy. “Her dad was a military expert, historian and lecturer and used to be in the forces. It’s fascinating hearing her talk about the thesis for the three novels: The first is about survival, the second is rebellion and the third is about all-out war. She’s very compelling about all of that.”
I agree with his point that gender doesn’t matter in the series which centers on a heroine (played by Jennifer Lawrence of X-Men: First Class.)
“What I really love about the books is it isn’t even up for discussion that she’s a girl,” Beaufoy said. “There’s no discussion that she shouldn’t be killing people because she’s a girl, and she shouldn’t be killed because she’s a girl. We’ve done gender politics. This is about life and death. It makes the gender politics seem finicky and not terribly interesting.”
For the entire interview click here.
The Hunger Games cast tour concludes in Seattle this weekend. I will be there.
When casting began for The Hunger Games a big surprise was Lenny Kravitz for the role of Cinna. The cools stylist helps transform Katniss into a star before she enters the competition. The new Entertainment Weekly reveals how Kravitz became Cinna.
Director Gary Ross had been moved by the singer’s performance in Precious and that Kravitz had a bond with star Jennifer Lawrence, who had become friends with his daughter, Zoe, during the filming of X-Men: First Class. Lawrence played Raven Darkholme/Mystique. Kravitz played Angel Salvadore.
“I love that girl, ” says Kravitz, “The minute I met her she became part of the family.”
For the entire interview including how other actors were cast pick up the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly.
Hollywood is buzzing over The Hunger Games like the Capitol erupted over the fiery arrival of Katniss in the book. According to studies the movie is on track to open to $70 million + and that’s bigger than Twilight according to Deadline.
Here in the Emerald City fans are buzzing over The Hunger Games tour bringing Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson to Seattle’s Microsoft Store at University Village on March 10th. I wanted to share the latest information from U Village if you want to be part of this big opportunity.
Here’s the schedule:
7am – Fans will be permitted to line up outside the Microsoft store.
9am – Wristbands will be handed out to the first 100 people for private in-store signing and VIP access in the Q&A area (parking lot in front of the Microsoft Store).
10am – Fans will be permitted access to the Q&A area; Q&A is free and open to the public.
2pm – 3:30pm – Private signing at the Microsoft store with the stars of ‘The Hunger Games’. Please visit the Microsoft Store for details.
3:30pm – 4pm – Q&A with the stars
Good luck!
The stars of The Hunger Games are going on a national tour to meet fans the media March 3rd-10th. I’m happy to share with my fellow Northwestern fans that the tour is coming to Seattle and we get the chance to meet the leads playing Katniss, Gale and Peeta!
Jennifer Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth and Josh Hutcherson will appear March 10th at the University Village Microsoft Store. May the odds be ever in your favor so you can meet the stars.
The Hunger Games opens March 23rd.
X-Fans like me rejoiced this week with news that Director Matthew Vaughn and the principal cast of X-Men: First Class are signed on for a sequel to the prequel.
Before Jennifer Lawrence reprises her role as the shapeshifting Mystique she will fight for her life in The Hunger Games based on the best-selling trilogy by Suzanne Collins. Lawrence plays Katniss a girl in a dystopian world in a tournament fighting to the death against other desperate teens. The books are riveting. The movie trailer captures the dangerous atmosphere of the series. I’m surprised a publisher hasn’t started work on a graphic novel adaptation of the trilogy.
Josh Hutcherson (would made a great young Scott Summers) plays Peeta, one of the combatants in the death tournament who falls in love with Katniss. The two young stars talked with MTV News about their chemistry.
“We did a chemistry read and kind of hit it off right away, I felt, for the second time, third time,” he joked, playing up the memories of their first meeting. “So that’s the first time we got to play the characters together.”
“We had tons of chemistry,” Lawrence insisted with a laugh. “He was Peeta,” she added of her first impressions of Hutcherson as “the boy with the bread.” “I had heard the director, I had heard Gary [Ross] say, ‘He is the only one who is actually Peeta,’ and then [Josh] came in, and he was. He’s charming and nice and sweet, like a dog licking your face.”
“A dog licking on your face?” Hutcherson asked, wondering if Lawrence was giving him a compliment or not.
“It is! That’s what it’s like hanging out with you, it’s like, ‘Eeeeee!’ ” Lawrence said of her excitement being around the 19-year-old.
For the entire interview here’s the MTV News link.