Francis Lawrence Talks about the Loss of Philip Seymour Hoffman

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay director Francis Lawrence spoke with USA Today about the sudden loss of actor Philip Seymour Hoffman:

The Atlanta cast and crew of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay were devastated when they learned of cast member Phillip Seymour Hoffman's sudden death, says director Francis Lawrence.

"It was obviously very rough for all of us," Lawrence tells USA TODAY. "He was a friend. He was an amazing actor, an iconic actor. He was someone I really looked up to."

On the Atlanta set, filmmakers gave shocked and bereaved cast and crew members time to process their grief. "We shut down for a day to give people time to deal with the sudden shock of it all. And to try and sort of figure things out a little bit," says Lawrence.

After coming back to work, the entire cast and crew gathered for a special moment to pay respects to Hoffman.

"We as a cast and crew definitely honored him," says Lawrence. "We gathered everyone together and had a big moment for him. We still think about him every day. It's hard not to imagine him being here."

"It's something so sudden, so shocking," Lawrence added.

Hoffman starred as head gamemaker Plutarch Heavensbee in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire. The Academy Award winner had been shooting his role in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1 and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 2 in Atlanta. A European shoot was to follow.

Hoffman's death is not expected to affect therelease dates of Mockingjay, Part 1 on November 21and Mockingjay, Part 2 on November 20, 2015.

Lawrence said Hoffman was "mostly finished" with his work on the Mockingjay set.

"There was very, very little that was left. Even if (Hoffman) had a number of days left," says Lawrence. "Most of those moments were appearances in other scenes. Most of his dialogue was done."

Clearly, working with the loss of the key character will lead to some continued difficulties.

"We're still figuring some of that out," says Lawrence.

Natalie Dormer on 'Mockingjay' and the "Joy of Being Around Jen and the Boys."

Natalie Dormer talked to Stephen Milton of Independent.ie about being a "hostage" in the recent Atlanta "Snow-apocalypse" in Atlanta while filming Mockingjay. She also spoke a little about working with the cast and shaving her head for the role. Sounds like production will wrap in June:

I anticipate Natalie Dormer will soon regale me with smug woes of sweltering brows and peeling sunburn when she answers her hotel room phone in Atlanta.

"Are you joking," she dolefully chuckles, "we're in a declared state of emergency here. It's 'Snow-apocalypse'. I'm a total hostage."

Admittedly, it's February and the Northern US has been experiencing a 'mild' touch of the Arctic conditions of late. Though one figures the steamy Peach State would escape the chill.

And, turns out, the production team of the new Hunger Games chapter, Mockingjay, was also of the same mind.

"Shooting's come to a complete halt. And I wouldn't mind but I'm now sporting half a shaven head. The need for woolly hats has never been greater."

The cupid bow-lipped siren – initially known for a flounced-up searing portrayal of Anne Boleyn in The Tudors and then, transcending the 16th century for Game of Thrones middle age of yore as Margaery Tyrell, Prince Joffrey's affiance – has flipped the bird to her 'bodiced' typecast by giving half her noggin the blade one treatment for the upcoming role as freedom fighter, Cressida, in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 and 2.

Debuting the look at the SAG awards last month, it magnified her feline features, showcasing a comfortable versatility.

And Natalie, who stars alongside Brenda Fricker in this weekend's release, A Long Way from Home, was actually willing to go fully bald for the cause.

"When I got the job a few months ago, it was under the condition that I was going to lose all my hair, which I'd made my peace with. "Thankfully, a U-turn meant I only lost half, which was a huge bonus.

"But it's just a colossal production to be a part of and the joy of being able to get physical and run around with Jen [Lawrence] and the boys, is fantastic and long overdue for me. It's frustrating when you're Margaery Tyrell and the likelihood of getting a sword in your hand is pretty low."

Shooting continues in Atlanta until the end of March, before moving to Paris and Berlin, with a wrap date looking to be around the beginning of June.

Read more from the article about Natalie's roles in Game of Thrones and A Long Way From Home HERE.

Robert Knepper Doesn't Know Who Antonius Is Either

Remember back in December when the big Mockingjay casting announcement came out: Robert Knepper is Antonius! And we all went, "Whaaaaa???? Whoooooo??" We eventually found out Antonius is President Snow's Minister, a small part created for the films but not in the books. Turns out the actor playing him is still a little clueless as to who Antonius is. He spoke to MTV News about his mystery character:

"I don't even know yet!" Knepper said laughing. "I know what I read for. I read, this was last summer... This is a huge movie. This is a huge two movies, and I know that what I got is not what I'll end up doing, they're so secretive about this."

For roles in blockbusters like Hunger Games, this is pretty typical: an actor will audition for a role reading "sides," short pieces of script that give the sense of the character while not actually being from the movie's script itself. This is done not just to prevent leaks and spoilers, but also because a character as they appear in the movie may have minimal dialogue that doesn't suggest everything a casting director needs to see in an audition.

Knepper did get the part, though, and will be heading to Paris in April to shoot his segment of the mega-franchise. Hopefully by then he'll have a better idea of what to expect.

"You're going to find out when I find out," Knepper continued. "Well, I'll find out a little bit sooner than you, but I still haven't found out for sure!"

Julianne Moore on 'Mockingjay' - "We have a Huge Responsibility"

Julianne Moore has admitted that her role as President Alma Coin in the upcoming The Hunger Games: Mockingjay comes with a "huge responsibility to the book".

"There are some things that have been written that the fans are adamant be there," Moore told Digital Spy exclusively. "We're taking that responsibility very seriously."

Moore also said playing US politician Sarah Palin in Game Change didn't influence her portrayal of Mockingjay's ruthless President.

"They don't have a whole lot to do with one another. When you're playing a real person, all your research is really about how that person speaks and moves and is physically."

'Mockingjay' Producer Nina Jacobson Tweets About Tigris!

Mockingjay Part 1 & 2 producer Nina Jacobson has been teasing the crap out of us this week and we LOVE it! She already got us totally riled up with her white rose tweet yesterday, and today she pretty much confirmed that Tigris will be a part of Mockingjay (almost certainly Part 2). Tigris is a small but key character and it's great to see that she's going to make it to the screen. No casting has been officially confirmed yet, but I certainly can't wait to see how they bring her to life!

Update on Fri, February 28, 2014 by PanemPropaganda

Another Tigris Tweet! Check out Nina's latest update about Tigris in the Mockingay movies.

VIDEO: Elizabeth Banks on Her Effie Transformation: "Everybody Gets Excited When Effie Shows Up On Set"

Elizabeth Banks spoke with Extra while promoting The LEGO Movie and, of course, they asked about Mockingjay. Though she didn't really say much about the production, she did talk about how much she enjoys her transformation into Effie. The Effie stuff is about 3 minutes in:

Elizabeth Banks Talks Jennifer Lawrence & Playing Effie "She's One of My All Time Favorites"

Elizabeth Banks is currently supporting The Listerine 21 Day Challenge, which supports Oral Health America’s Smiles Across America program in their goal of connecting at-risk children with needed access to oral care. She snapped her own “Swish Selfie” on the red carpet at the launch of the challenge on Thursday to trigger an immediate donation of $21,000 to Oral Health America.

Talk at the Los Angeles event inevitably turned to Jennifer Lawrence, Mockingjay and Philip Seymour Hoffman:

So, speaking of things that ladies love, give us some inside scoop about hanging with JLaw?
Well, recently everyone surprised me on the set of Mockingjay with a birthday cake! That was really fun. And, of course, the first person to delve into my cake was Jennifer. I will say she’s a girl who likes to eat and I love that about her.

As far as the Hunger Games go, are there any surprises hardcore fans of the book won’t see coming?
Honestly, I can’t say anything about Mockingjay! Ahhh!! We’ll both end up hurt somewhere! I think the hardcore fans can expect exactly what both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire delivered, Mockingjay is going to be as faithful a rendition of Suzanne’s Collins’s world and books and characters as we can put out!

“I am almost done,” she said. “I’m going to miss playing Effie, she’s one of my all-time favorite characters. I have such a ball with her & this cast & I will miss it. It’s absorbing because we still put the movies out so we’ll still have our little reunions, which I’m looking forward to. I have two more years of getting reunited with all these wonderful people!”

And what was it like to work with Philip Seymour Hoffman?
I’d really rather not discuss it. He was an incredible actor that I respected greatly and I will miss tremendously.

Via HuffPost and Cosmo

Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth Return To the 'Mockingjay' Set

Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth bundled up as they headed to the Mockingjay set in chilly Atlanta today. Looks like they're both sporting those fabulous (or drab-ulous?) District 13 uniforms.

Update on Wed, February 5, 2014 by PanemPropaganda

Julianne Moore was also spotted near the Mockingjay set in Atlanta in all her President Coin grey glory