Jeffrey Wright Talks About Mockingjay and Jennifer Lawrence in His Reddit AMA

Jeffrey Wright did a Reddit AMA this morning to discuss his role as Dr. Valentin Narcisse on Boardwalk Empire and to raise money for two of his favorite charities, Tribeca Film Institute and Taia Peace Foundation. He talked a bit about Mockingjay and the joy of working with Jennifer Lawrence.

Jeffrey said he was in Brooklyn for his AMA chat. Wonder if he's wrapped his scenes on Mockingjay already?

How awesome is Jennifer Lawrence really?

She’s really awesome. I have to say, as awesome as you might imagine. The brilliant, vibrant, upbeat and original personality. Working with her is a choice between focusing and laughing yourself into hysterics.

Hi there, I was wondering if you've read the whole Hunger Games series (and if so, your thoughts)? Or what best helped you get a sense of the type of person Beetee is and how to portray him? Thanks!

Yes, of course I’ve read the whole of the Hunger Games series. I think it would have been foolish not to, considering all of the wonderful detail and background story that they contain. They represent the whole cosmology of these character and habits. If I was going to be able to flesh out my character, I needed to know as much as possible, so I went there to discover that. There’s a lot there, but I think that Suzanne Collins tapped into something very much within the moment that we find ourselves in. On set, we’re continually amazed at the way in which the world outside the set is reflected within the world we’re trying to recreate from her books. The books and movies are directed towards young minds, which make them all the more exciting. This moment recently in Thailand, where protesters were throwing up the Hunger Games hand sign in the streets, was just kind of mind boggling and odd in the best way, and only indicative of Suzanne’s stories and ideas, and of these movies we’re all a part of.

Hey I just met a girl named Valerie on Tinder who said she's a pro actor in Atlanta who will be in both Mockingjay 1 and 2. Is it true or is she bullshitting me?

Well, since you’ve only met her online, I think there’s probably any number of questions regarding whether or not she is who she says she is. I would say the chances that she is real are 50/50. That doesn’t mean it’s not possible. Why don’t you ask her who’s the best at forgetting their lines on set, and if it’s me, she might be onto something...

Thanks for bringing life to your character in Mockingjay, and so brilliantly! What is/was your favourite part of working on Mockingjay?

My favorite part of working on Mockingjay, that’s kind of an easy question. My favorite part was working with all of the other actors and Francis Lawrence, our director. And being on set with the crew; the atmosphere and the feeling that was created is a combo of hard work and good focus.

Do you think the message in Hunger Games is actual for nowadays' world?

I think so, and it seems to me that I’m not alone in that, because the popularity of the stories would suggest that. I think the stories are relevant, not only in a way that’s relevant to our time, but I think there’s a kind of universal humanity that touches people that is timeless. Katniss, who is the focal point of this story, is a classically mythic figure, who undertakes these extraordinary adventures and who faces these phenomenal challenges, only to really make her way back home and back to the things that are granular and that are most dear to her and most intimate for her. We all understand that and we all get how meaningful that is.

If you'd like to support Jeffrey's favorite charities, Tribeca Film Institute and Taia Peace Foundation, he's offering you and a guest the chance to join him on the set of Boardwalk Empire. You can enter here. See his entire Reddit AMA here.