FilmInk Magazine Interviews Gary, Jennifer, Josh, and Liam in March Issue

Posted February 8, 2012 by Crystal in Press

All you Aussies out there waiting for local magazines featuring ‘The Hunger Games’ need only wait until February 15, when the March issue of FilmInk hits newsstands! We got a chance to read the entire article and it’s a truly delightful read. In the six page spread, FilmInk talks to Gary Ross about the violence of the movie and the place it has in a cinematic representation of ‘The Hunger Games.

[T]he fact that the film essentially tracks a group of kids trying to kill each other, Ross didn’t feel the need to ship in extra bottles of fake blood to make it work. “You don’t have to be graphic or fetishistic about the violence,” the director says. “I’m not interested in that, if for no other reason than it takes you out of the perspective of the protagonist. It’s a very subjective first person experience, and I had to ask myself some simple questions: What’s the quality of the book that I most respond to? What was my experience in reading the book? And how do I most accurately reflect that? To me, the book was principally about walking in Katniss Everdeen’s shoes.”

[...]

“It’s not necessary to sow this spectrum of violence in order to maintain what Katniss is feeling in those games. If I got lurid or gratuitous, I would yank you out of that subjective perspective. It could be tawdry and distancing for the audience, when what I really need to have you do is walk in Katniss Everdeen’s shoes.”

Josh talks about discussions he had on set about the meaning of society, reflecting upon the real-world similarities going on now.

“Society right now is in a really interesting place: I’m not saying that it’s necessarily good or bad – I just feel like now, more than ever, people feel like they have their own voice. The power of the individual is getting stronger, so you see things like Occupy Wall Street and Occupy LA, where people are banding together to stand up for what they think is right. This movie is a tribute to that in a way. It’s about a group of people standing up against something so big that it seems like there’s nothing that they can do about it.”

Jennifer Lawrence revealed more of her hilarious sense of humor when asked how she’s dealing with her recent Academy Award nomination.

“I don’t really feel like the Academy Award nominee or anything like that,” Lawrence claims. Yet like Katniss Everdeen, she’s been thrown into a deadly arena, only one where the shoes are more painful. It’s a lot of pressure for such young shoulders. “I guess I feel like I have to be more mature,” she sighs. “I can’t really moon the paparazzi or anything, which was always my dream!”

As for Liam, he very graciously talked about how thankful he is for his fans.

“I want the film to do well and I want people to like it. [...] I’m very thankful to be where I am. If people are happy to meet me, and if the fans are happy, that’s great. We wouldn’t be actors if we didn’t have fans, and they’re what make us successful. I’m always thankful for that.”

FilmInk is sending us some issues, so we’ll be giving away an issue soon! People outside Australia will be able to buy the magazine online at Zinio and we’ll let you know once that’s available. Stay tuned for more details!

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