New Interviews with Donald Sutherland and Stanley Tucci

Posted February 17, 2012 by Ciara in Cast

In the latest issue of UK magazine Total Film (in which Katniss is on the cover) there are some new insights from both Donald Sutherland and Stanley Tucci on their characters and how they got involved in The Hunger Games:

Total Film: How did you first hear about The Hunger Games?

Donald Sutherland: I wasn’t actually offered a role. The script was given to me, and I wrote an extensive note to my representative, because I thought it was a beautiful script, and it had the possibility to be the most influential film made in this country for many years.

TF: So Gary Ross didn’t have to twist your arm to take part?

DS: I wanted to do it but Snow didn’t have much to do, in the first script, so Gary wrote two more scenes, in the Rose Garden. And it made it clear Snow was able to see and recognise Katniss’ genius. In the middle of her conflict, she recognises who her enemy is: me. And the minute I see her, I know who she is, and that she will destroy me.

TF: Did anyone inspire your performance?

DS: Snow’s first name is Coriolanus. I researched why Suzanne Collins called him that, but the only person I thought of was [Midnight Cowboy director] John Schlesinger, because he loved roses. Roses are really Snow’s only passion – while everybody else is starving…

While Stanley Tucci discussed his involvement, finding Caesar Flickerman in costume and improvising with Josh Hutcherson:

Total Film: How aware were you of the book, before Gary Ross got in touch?

Stanley Tucci: I was unaware. I mentioned it to my fiancée - she’s a literary agent. I said, “Gary Ross wants me to do The Hunger Games…” And she said, “Do it! Oh my God, those books are phenomenal.” So I read the book, read the script, and loved them both.

TF: Did Caesar’s costume and make-up change how you’d envisaged the part?

ST: Absolutely. We had a wig made, then I asked them to make me incredibly fake white teeth. And he should look like he’s had lots of plastic surgery so we pulled my face up with tape and he’s very tanned and has eye make-up on – it’s really, like, horrifying. Once you do all that, honestly,I don’t know a single person who wouldn’t start to behave differently.

TF: Did you ad-lib in your interview scenes with Josh Hutcherson?

ST: We ad-libbed a lot. Gary handed me new stuff when I went in and we used it as a template. Then I could go wherever I wanted. It was incredibly freeing and it was really, really, really fun.