Elizabeth Banks Says Goodbye to Effie and The Hunger Games: "I Cried My Eyes Out"

Josh Horowitz got to spend a little time with Elizabeth Banks at Tiff while she was promoting her film Love and Mercy and, excellent fanboy that he is, Josh asked about Mockingjay wrapping up for good. 

"It's done. I never get to play that role again, it's so sad. I cried my eyes out. I love, love, love Effie so much. I really love her and, yeah, it's over."

Horowitz said he was relieved that we get to see a little bit more of Effie in the last two films than the book would dictate. Banks replied, "They did [write a little bit more of Effie into the films]. I got lucky. It was VERY flattering and fun story for her actually. REALLY fun. To go from The Capitol to District 13 is a shock for anybody. I like how I talk about it like it's real life. (laughs) Anyway, she's there. She's the fish out of water. It's fun."

Sam Claflin On His Awkward Goodbye to 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay'

Sam Claflin has been promoting The Riot Club at the Toronto International Film Festival, but MTV's Josh Horowitz snuck in a couple of questions about The Hunger Games: Mockingjay (and that's why we love ya, Josh!)

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“It was bizarre,” Claflin said. “I think I’d said goodbye, and done all my goodbyes, and I remember feeling a little sad and anxious, kind of going, I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself for the rest of my life, I’m never going to work again.”

But Claflin’s fears were put to rest, pretty much immediately.

“After I said the final goodbye, they go, oh actually we need you to come in tomorrow to fill in this pick up,” Claflin said. “So I saw everybody the next day, and then I sort of left, and kind of felt a little weird.”

To add to the awkwardness, Claflin also left a week early, before most of the stars had wrapped on the movie.

“I got out early and avoided the whole heartbreak,” Claflin told us. But he added, “It’s really sad.”

Sam Claflin, Jena Malone and Elizabeth Banks at TIFF

Sam Claflin, Jena Malone and Elizabeth Banks were at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) this year to support various, separate projects outside The Hunger Games world. 

Sam was on hand for the world premiere of his upcoming film, The Riot Club. 

Sam photos thanks to our friends at SamClaflinFans. Be sure to check out their fabulous gallery for many more photos from TIFF, including all the press events. 

Photo thanks to MockingjaySource.com

Jena Malone was at TIFF promoting her upcoming Time Out Of Mind, which she calls, "the most important film I've ever made." Jena was absolutely stunning at the premiere of the film. Time Out of Mind is due in theaters October 5th. 

Photo thanks to MockingjaySource.comElizabeth Banks was at TIFF for the premiere of her film Love and Mercy. The biopic of The Beach Boys' Brian Wilson is already getting great reviews. Curiously enough, the film was rewritten by screenwriter Oren Moverman, who also co-wrote and directed Jena Malone's TIFF film, Time Out of Mind. 

Willow Shields at New York Fashion Week

Willow posted this pic to her instagram "Head to toe Christian Siriano"

Our little Prim is growing up! Willow Shields made the rounds at New York Fashion Week, checking out the Peter Som and Christian Siriano fashion shows. Sounds like she'll be at Betsy Johnson this Wednesday, September 10th as well (the show is at 3:00pm ET).

Willow and Shay Mitchell at Peter Som
Willow and some amazing company + Christian Siriano. From her instagram 

Willow was on TeenVogue's Best Celeb Instagrams of the Week for her NYFW snaps. 

Inside Lorde's 'Mockingjay Part 1' Recording Session

According to Billboard.com, Lorde spent Labor Day weekend in New Jersey's Lakehouse Recording Studios working on the new single for Mockingjay Part 1. The yet-unmamed song, which will be played over the ending credits according to studio owner Jon Leidersdorrf, is "moody, dark and powerful."

As we reported yesterday, Lorde teased the first line of the new song to social media soon after the release of the new Katniss Everdeen character poster:

Lakehouse Recording Studios owner Leidersdorrf also confirms the tune's opening line.

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack is scheduled to be released three days before Mockingjay hits theaters on Nov. 21.

Elizabeth Banks on Effie and Mockingjay: "It's a True Action Movie"

Elizabeth Banks has been making the rounds to promote her involvement with Doritos Crash The Super Bowl Contest. E Online got a little bit of Mockingjay Part 1 and Effie information out of her during their recent interview.  

How Effie maintains her style in District 13 

“Effie really is a fish out of water in District 13 and they do not have anywhere near the resources that the Capitol does. So Effie really finds herself having to what I like to call ‘Project Runway her way’ through the wardrobe that’s given to everyone. Everyone gets sort of standard wardrobe in District 13 and she of course has to put her own twist on everything…she can make anything fabulous."

Book vs. Movie Effie

“Well she [Effie] doesn’t make an appearance in District 13 in the actual book, but Suzanne Collins and Francis [Lawrence] and I…everyone sort of came to me and said ‘We really feel like Effie…it would be really fun to keep her involved in the story’ and of course I’m thrilled to be a part of it and get to go to 13 and take care of Katniss a little bit longer.”

What she thinks of the film (aka press kit sound bites) 

“I’m really thrilled with the way it’s turned out. I think Francis [the director] has a really interesting take on the material and it’s a continuation of the story of Katniss and she’s one of my favorite heroines of all time. The scope and scale is huge. It’s really a true action film now, we’re not just in the Games anymore, we’ve really upped the stakes of the movie. It’s really about a full scale rebellion and a war between the Capitol and the Districts. So all the action sequences are just amazing and upgraded…action-movie level stuff going on, not just the story of a small-town girl.”

Elizabeth on the Mockingjay cast

“I mean we really have a lot of comradery. We’ve been through a lot making the movies. It’s very rare in this business that you get to spend this much time with the same people, over and over again on something that we all care about a lot. And we really want to make a great product every time and we want to have fun while we do it and we just have really great shared perspective on the whole thing."

Lorde Teases First Line From Her 'Mockingjay Part 1' Single

Lorde is a Hunger Games fangirl too. After the release of the new Katniss Everdeen character poster yesterday, Lorde took to twitter and instagram to share her excitement and teased the opening line of her single for the Mockingjay Part 1 soundtrack (above), which she is also curating. 

I'm a princess cut from marble, smoother than a storm. 

We can't wait to hear the finished product and are intensely curious to find out what Lorde has cooked up for the entire soundtrack. 

New Katniss Everdeen 'Mockingjay Part 1' Poster Revealed on Our Leader The Mockingjay App

A new Mockingjay Part 1 character poster of Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen was released today via the Our Leader the Mockingjay app. 

 

The poster is BADASS. Katniss is our leader - and from the vantage point of the poster - we are following her. I love it. We may not have too long to wait to see that beautiful face, however. Under the Katniss poster is a little sentence. It says:

Our Leader The Mockingjay Arrives 9/10.

Perhaps in that long-awaited trailer?? Stay tuned.....