Willow Shields and Amandla Stenberg at Teen Vogue's Back-To-School Dinner Party

Teen Vogue and Simon Malls got together to throw a dinner party in Los Angeles Wednesday night, fêting their annual Back-to-School Saturdays initiative. The Hunger Games stars Willow Shields and Amandla Stenberg reunited at the event, along with other young Hollywood stars like Kiernan Shipka, Bella Thorne and Bailee Madison.

Willow is one of the celebs heading to malls all across the country this month to fill you in on how to adapt runway style for the hallways. Pittsburg tributes can meet Willow this Saturday, August 8th from 1-4pm at the Mall at Robinson

Image from @willowshields on instagram

Both Willow and Amandla posted this pic to their instagrams. Prim and Rue feels, anyone? 

Jena Malone Speaks Candidly About Playing Johanna Mason at Tampa Bay Comic Con

Photo via @FreakyFl on twitter

Jena Malone made an appearance at Tampa Bay Comic con yesterday and she answered some questions about her role as Johanna Mason in The Hunger Games franchise. She spoke candidly about how difficult it was on her psyche to play the role. 

It was so much fun. The thing is, is that Johanna Mason, for me, was really debilitating. It would be a really hard role for me to take on again just because the amount of extreme mental illness that she's battling. You know, she's battling so much anger and post-partum depression (we think she meant PTSD here) and a lot of really extreme things and, yes, the physicality of the role was liberating. And it was beautiful to scare and intimidate. 

Has Johanna left anything with Jena Malone? Jena's answer was "Anger residue." Though the role was demanding emotionally, Malone says that she would have played Johanna "if she was only offered $15" for it. There's no part she'd rather play in The Hunger Games universe. If she had to play another character she'd choose Caesar Flickerman or Cinna. 

Jena went on to say that she hasn't seen the full cut of Mockingjay Part 2. Her favorite part of filming MJ2 was the bald cap. Jena would get "sweat bubbles" and one day one popped in the midst of a convo with Jennifer Lawrence. Who, incidentally, Jena confirms is really into snacks. 

Jena Malone as Johanna Mason by Tim Palen: Photographs From The Hunger Games

Jena's favorite aspect of The Hunger Games franchise has been getting to know the fan base. Which she showed by lovingly hugging a fan who began to cry while asking a question for a friend with cancer. 

Thanks so much to @FreakyFl for the live tweet coverage and images from the panel! 

Josh Hutcherson on The Possibility of More Hunger Games Films

Josh Hutcherson spoke with Huffington Post recently and (sort of) cleared the air about some comments he made to Conan O'Brien at Comic Con last month. Josh seemed to hint at the possibility of more The Hunger Games films on the special Comic Con edition of O'Brien's show. 

Josh now says of future films, "Yeah, I mean the truth is I don’t know anything. I would like there to be more because they’re really fun to make, and it’s a fun character, but... afraid that I'm not clear on that one," Hutcherson said. "If it does happen, at the same time it’s like, it has to be something that Suzanne [Collins] really believes in," he continued. "It has to be something that she creates naturally. It's not just trying to make more movies out of it."

Admittedly, we're relived at this. Suzanne involved = YES! for us. 

What would Josh want to see in further Hunger Games films?

The last book kind of jumps from them kind of having a final moment... and then it jumps to another point in the story, and there’s a gap there in the middle. I think that could be a start. So I don’t know what would happen exactly, but all I know is that their own country and developing nation with all kinds of turmoil and ups and downs, I feel like there’s a good story in there.

We could definitely get behind that idea! 

Elizabeth Banks on Mockingjay Part 2: "It's the most intense one of the four. It hits you in the gut."

Elizabeth Banks spoke a bit about Mockingjay Part 2 while on the press junket for Pitch Perfect 2. Somehow we missed this little gem druing the PP2 promo.

If you can get over the fact that the youtuber captioned the video Hunger Games 4 (C'mon you can do it. Roll your eyes and move on. It technically IS Hunger Games 4. Who cares. We're more mature than that. People outside the fandom make this mistake all the time. Get over it.) the video is worth watching. 

"It's the most intense one of the four. It hits you in the gut." 

Josh Hutcherson Gives Hints About The 'Mockingjay Part 2' Press Tour

If there is one question we get more than any other question it's, "When is the (insert current Hunger Games film in franchise) premiere going to be held in (insert country of asker)." As much as we wish we knew the details well in advance, we don't, so we LOVE when The Hunger Games cast members slip any tidbits of information about the premieres and press tour. 

Josh Hutcherson let out a couple of great bits in his interview with MTV News about The Rusted, his upcoming short film for Canon's Project imagination. About the Mockingjay Part 2 press tour Josh says:

“I think on this press tour we actually get a couple of days here and there to enjoy the cities we’re going to go see. For me, the last press tour was so crazy and the one before that — we didn’t get to enjoy the cities that much. This time there’s a little bit more breathing room… normally you just wake up in a hotel, do press all day, and fly out; you don’t get to see anything. [This time] I know we’re going to be in Berlin again, which is where we wrapped the film, and so it will be nice to go back there. We have a day or so to get to relive some fun moments there. It’s going to be excellent.”

So, #1 they may be spreading this tour out a bit ("This time there’s a little bit more breathing room"). Which may or may not affect when the premieres are held.

#2 It sounds like Berlin is getting a premiere this time around

None of this has been officially confirmed by Lionsgate so we'll have to wait and see how it all pans out. But German tributes might want to start getting excited! 

Read more about Josh and Jena Malone's project The Rusted here. 

Josh Hutcherson To Appear at the Teen Choice Awards

Josh Hutcherson is scheduled to appear at the 2015 Teen Choice Awards! The show will be broadcast live on FOX Sun, Aug 16th at 8/7c. 

You can still get tickets to the awards which will be held at the Galen Center in Los Angeles. 

The Hunger Games Cast Mini-Reunion - Josh Hutcherson & Jena Malone Film 'The Rusted'

Josh Hutcherson and Jena Malone had a mini Hunger Games reunion when they got together this week to shoot the upcoming short film The Rusted for Canon's Project Imagination. 

The intense 3 day shoot just wrapped and Josh spoke with MTV News about the project:

The Rusted sees Hutcherson and his Hunger Games co-star Jena Malone playing siblings who renovate their childhood home into a recording studio… but sure enough, dark secrets soon come to the surface, and Hutcherson’s character begins to unravel.

“The unclearness of reality and what’s in your mind is fascinating,” Hutcherson revealed. “In this short we get to explore that, and push the bounds of what’s real and what’s not real and what’s really going on, versus what’s just in the character’s mind. The psychological element was something I always really wanted to get involved with, and this one allowed me to do that.

“These characters have their own past traumas that are haunting them still,” he continued. “The idea that something that happens in your life that is traumatic can stay with you your whole life to the point where you hallucinate things that aren’t really there — that’s kind of scary, and I hope that doesn’t happen to me.”

In addition to the intensity of doing such a quick shoot and selecting the project with Howard, Hutcherson said he was excited by the opportunity to have Hunger Games fans see a completely different side of him… a Dark Josh Hutcherson, if you will.

“I think it’s cool because Jena and I are in it together… taking The Hunger Games and applying it to a very different world,” he said. “Kat Candler’s style, our director, is very real — it’s very grounded, [whereas] Hunger Games is a very big, futuristic hypothetical situation. So for me, it’s something that’s much more grounded and real, and it’s a character I’ve never gotten to play before. My character is this rock, metal-head kind of kid, and for me, it’s something that’s different. I hope people enjoy it, cause it’s me taking on something very different. Very dark.”

We can't wait to see Dark Josh and his sister Jena when The Rusted is released. Stay tuned! 

Sam Claflin's #AskFinnick Live Twitter Q & A

Sam and his adorable dog, Rosie

Sam Claflin took over Lionsgate UK's twitter early this morning for a little #AskFinnick Q & A. He talked Finnick, Mockingjay Part 2, lizard mutts and much more. We've got the full discourse for you here. 

@supersudz81: What will you miss the most from your experience of filming these movies?

Sam:  I think the gang. The cast, crew & The Hunger Games family!

 

@abcdiris: If you could play any other character in THG, who would it be?

Sam:  I’d say Katniss… I feel like she’s the complete package.

 

@caitsimpx: What’s your favorite part in the MJ2 Trailer?

Sam: The introduction and the vision of the lizards!




@HumanDelena: Who is your favorite cast member to prank on?

Sam: Definitely Jen, her reactions to pranks is undoubtedly the most extreme and fun to witness!

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