'The Hunger Games' Cast and Crew Take The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Nina Jacobson, producer of The Hunger Games films, graciously accepted our ALS Ice Bucket Challenge Nomination and took the plunge in honor of The Hunger Games fans. Thank you, Nina!! You are amazing. Check it out:

She nominated Jennifer Lawrence, Jena Malone and Natalie Dormer to take the challenge.

Director Francis Lawrence ALSO accepted our challenge and took his icy bath in honor of the fans:

What a champ! Thanks, Francis! It means so much to the fans that you both did this. Francis has nominated Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth and Sam Claflin. Josh and Sam accepted and completed the challenge:

Natalie Dormer completed the challenge. You can see her video exclusively at Buzzfeed. I LOVE that she's wearing a Mockingjay t-shirt!! 

Jennifer Lawrence and Jena Malone both opted to donate in lieu of completing the ice bucket challenge. Ice or no ice, we love you, Jennifer and Jena! Thanks for donating! Jena posted a pic of her interpretation of the Ice Bucket Challenge to her social media and is donating $1 for every like/rt the photo gets on twitter, facebook and instagram by 5:30am on Thursday, 8/28/14. Go, go, go! 

 

Willow Shields took the challenge in honor of The Hunger Games fans too! This may be the cutest one I've seen. 

Liam has already done the challenge through another nomination. Love the outfit, Liam.

Check out some of our other THG cast members doing the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. And find out more about this great cause HERE.  

Julianne Moore:

Elizabeth Banks:

Evan Ross:

Alexander Ludwig did it on behalf of his show Vikings:

Alan Ritchson completed the challenge with Rob Ramsey and they took it up a notch and used Slushys.

Dayo Okeniyi completed the challenge and called out Amandla Stenberg, Jack Quaid and Leven Rambin. 

'Mockingjay' Wraps and 'The Hunger Games' Cast & Crew React

Josh, Woody, Liam and JenniferWell, that was emotional! Filming for Mockingjay wrapped yesterday and The Hunger Games series is finished filming forever. Sure, there could be a few reshoots, but Josh Hutcherson is already back to brunette and the cast of our beloved films have been sharing their parting thoughts on social media.

Director Francis Lawrence made it official on twitter:

Producer Nina Jacobson tweeted the photo above (and see photo guide below) with the caption:

"That’s a wrap. Thank you Suzanne Collins. Thank you Francis Lawrence. Thank you HG Fans. Other than that, I’m speechless."

Handy little photo guide thanks to @everlark4evaaaa

Sam Claflin took to twitter this morning with a 3-tweet-long message that siad:

“I just want/need to express my many thanks to everyone (cast, crew & fans) who have worked so hard for so long to make The Hunger Games experience what it is. But for also trusting me enough to let me be part of it. I feel privileged, honored and so very lucky to have shared this opportunity with so many passionate & talented people.”

Willow Shields posted this lovely photo and caption to her instagram:

Such a bittersweet moment... Mockingjay Parts 1 & 2 have officially wrapped! This has been such a wonderful journey and I cannot wait till you see the films! What a huge part of my life and I wanna thank all of you beautiful people for supporting our series all the way! Are you excited or are you EXCITED to see Mockingjay?

And some of our other cast members tweeted their thoughts as well:

Making yesterday even more poignant was all of you tributes trending #ThankYouTHGCast and #ThankYouTHGCastandCrew across social media and sharing your thoughts and photos. We trended #ThankYouTHGCastandCrew on twitter in the US and UK, and Mockingjay was trending on tumblr.

Fear not, tibutes! We still have 2 amazing Mockingjay movies to look forward to and lots of promotional marketing to come. So tributes....We Remain!

The Hunger Games' Dayo Okeniyi Featured in July Vanity Fair

The Hunger Games' Dayo Okeniyi is featured in the July Vanity Fair as part of Hollywood's Next Wave along with Dylan O'Brien, Josh Wiggins, and Tye Sheridan. Dayo will be seen next in Terminator:Genesis with Arnold Schwarzenegger. He says his favorite app is Twitter.

Dayo Okeniyi Cast in New 'Terminator' Film

Image courtesy Variety

According to Variety, our very own Thresh, Dayo Okeniyi, has been cast as Miles Dyson's son in the latest installment in the Terminator franchise.

Plot details have not been revealed, other than this is the first film in a standalone trilogy. In Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Dyson, played by Joe Morton, was the scientist who helped in creating Cyberdyne Systems, the computer system that started the war between the machines and humans.

Congrats Dayo!

BTS Set Photos From 'The Hunger Games' Continuity Books

Theme Park Connection is hosting an ebay auction of over 800 costume pieces from The Hunger Games set, and part of the auction is supposed to be 23 Script Supervisor "continuity books" from the film featuring thousands of behind the scenes photos from the set.

The listing had been taken down at press time but we have a bunch of the photos from the books thanks to our friends at Real or Not Real News. They're fascinating!

Want more info on the auction? Go to ThemeParkConnection or check out their ebay store HERE. When we checked out the auction they had lots of little items like tees, Capitol citizens' hats and ties, etc, but nothing too impressive had been listed yet. The coolest items we saw were a Peacekeeper helmet and boots and an Avox outfit.

Liam Hemsworth & Leven Rambin at the Teen Choice Awards

Liam Hemsworth and Leven Rambin were at the Teen Choice Awards last night. Sadly, Liam did not take home a surfboard for "Choice Male Hottie" this year but Miley won 2 awards. Maybe she'll share.

Leven looked lovely in yellow on the blue TCA carpet.

Photos from ZIMBIO

Jack Quaid's Mini Hunger Games Reunion Vine

Jack Quaid posted a mini Hunger Games reunion to Vine last night. Amandla Stenberg, Jackie Emerson, Dayo Okeniyi and Jack look like they were out having a blast together. It's completely adorable. Have a look:

Katniss Everdeen Among Time's Magazine's 10 Terrific Teen Heroines

Time magazine has compiled a list of their Top 10 Teen Heroines on film and, no surprise to us, Katniss Everdeen was among them. From Time:

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence)

You’d think the Team Edward vs. Team Jacob debate would have given way to Team Bella vs. Team Katniss. After all, the Twilight heroine has now been supplanted in the popular imagination of young readers and moviegoers by the forest gladiator of Suzanne Collins’ trilogy. It’s probably not a fair comparison. Still, Lawrence’s dynamic warrior seems to have a built-in edge over Kristen Stewart’s passive, curiously blank vampire bride.

Katniss is not only a skilled fighter, but she’s also a canny manipulator – of potential beau Peeta, of the bread-and-circuses media, and even of the politicians of Panem. She’s selfless and compassionate, whether she’s taking her kid sister’s place as a draftee or mercy-killing a wounded opponent. Still, she’s only 16 and doesn’t yet know her own heart, which makes her flawed enough to be relatable.

Where did Lawrence get the steely resolve needed to play her? (Her Oscar-nominated performance as a teen protecting her rural family from scary meth dealers in Winter’s Bone offers a clue.) Her Katniss may display a hint of liquid-eyed guilt or remorse at having to take an enemy down, but she’ll still do it, quick as an arrow.

See the entire list at Time.com

Amandla Stenberg On The Hunger Games & Race in Hollywood

RookieMag just posted a really interesting interview with Amandla Stenberg. She talks candidly about her experience with some of the (hopefully FEW, come on people!) negative reactions from her casting as Rue in The Hunger Games. Her maturity belies her youth, and is one of the many reasons we love her. 

What has been your favorite role to play so far?

I don’t know if I can pick a favorite, because my experience has been so varied. But what I loved about The Hunger Games is that it had a fantastic cast. It was basically like summer camp. We were all in the woods together for three months. There were a lot of pranks pulled and sleepovers and that kind of thing. It is kind of a rare experience where all the members of a cast like each other. There were no conflicts or anything.

Was it weird to have your Hunger Games character made into an action figure?

[Laughs] It was pretty bizarre. The Hunger Games was one of the very few films I’ve made, and I got an action figure! It was pretty crazy. It’s really cool. I love to play with it with my niece. I like the fact that it is an image of young girl and it is not a weird sexualized action figure like you often see.

Oprah recently interviewed Alfre Woodard, Viola Davis, Phylicia Rashad, and Gabrielle Union about the challenges black actresses face in Hollywood. They discussed the lack of quality roles for black women as well as the criticism women of color sometimes receive in a hostile and competitive media landscape. At this point in your acting career, have you experienced anything like this? If so, what is your hope for the future?

With The Hunger Games, there was some drama over the fact that a lot of people didn’t expect my character Rue to be African American. So, I received some negative feedback. I kind of distanced myself from it because it seemed very silly to me. I didn’t really think I needed to focus my energy on it.

I don’t really check my personal mentions that much on Twitter. I think it is best to abstain from looking at them rather than come across one negative comment and have it stick in my mind. This happens to a lot of young people in the industry, and it kind of breaks them down. When [those tweets] happened I really tried not to look at what was going on. It was pretty shocking to see some of the articles that compiled the tweets I received. I remember calling my friend Jackie Emerson and telling her I wouldn’t understand all of the drama even if Rue wasn’t supposed to be black, and she comforted me. She told me I had to realize it was nothing personal, but it was unfortunately how society was reacting to the “shocking” presence of an African American actress. [Laughs] I tried not to let it get to me.

I’ve also been told “We’re going in another direction” when I’ve auditioned for roles, and the “other direction” turns out to be a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair. I do agree that perhaps it is more competitive when you’re an African American actress. But at the same time, I can almost use it to demonstrate my ability, because since there are fewer roles for African American women, I can make a deeper impression. I can feel more special about my roles because I know I’ve worked hard to get where I am and I know that I’m one of the people who have made it.

In the future, I think there will be a lot more roles in this kind of new wave of African American actresses like Kerry Washington. Kerry Washington is really revolutionizing the industry. She’s a great role model for me

Be sure to check out the rest of RookieMag's article, and find out about Amandla's charity work and much more HERE. 

Wes Bentley on Jennifer Lawrence and 'The Hunger Games' Frenzy

Wes Bentley (Seneca Crane) recently spoke to NextMovie while promoting his film, The Time Being (in limited release today) and he talked a little about The Hunger Games fan frenzy, and the advice he gave to a certain newcomer on her rise to stardom (yes, it's Jennifer Lawrence). 

It must be nice to get away from all of the "Hunger Games" craziness, especially now that you have a family.
Oh yeah, I enjoy it. You know, actually the beard helped with that too. Now I can walk through a pack of teenage girls and not one of them would know who I am, since I don’t have that beard.

Do people ever recognize you on the street now?
Yeah.

What do they say? Do you have a celebrity doppelganger?
Yeah, I did for a long time — Tobey Maguire. I remember I was in Mexico in some random town, and someone yelled out "Spider-Man!" (Laughs) So I get that sometimes, or when I think someone's recognized me for me, it's actually Tobey. That's happened less and less, though, and it doesn't happen a bunch. Oddly enough, it happens more when I'm not in L.A. or New York. It happens in smaller towns a lot.

Looking back on "The Hunger Games" a year later, do you still have a most memorable fan interaction?
I was, one time, working out at a gym in Albuquerque and I felt some people staring at me, and suddenly I felt uncomfortable. I didn't know why they were staring at me. And then, this girl came up to me and held out a racquetball to me. And I was just looking at the racquetball, and then she handed me a pen. She wanted me to sign her racquetball. I thought that was strange.

You got to work with Jennifer Lawrence before she became such a huge star. What was your relationship with her during filming? Because you also started acting at a young age, did you give her any advice as a newcomer?
You know, I didn't want to overstep my bounds and just give advice without asking. But we clicked, and I love Jen, like everybody does. She's just hilarious, and we got along great and had moments. And I just said to her, "Look, I know a little bit about what you might be feeling or what's about to happen, and if you ever just want to talk to somebody about it, then call me." Of course, it's way bigger than anything I ever had to deal with. And we text sometimes and joke, and she deals with it well, it seems like. But I'll always be there if she wants to give a call or if she's feeling like it's too much.

What are you geeking out over right now?
I'm a "Game of Thrones" fan, so I geeked out hard about that. I can't believe we have to wait a whole year for [Season Four].

How are you on social media? Do you tweet?
I just started. I just opened a Twitter account: @RealWesBentley. But that's all.

Pictures From Amandla Stenberg's Hunger Games Screening For the Ubuntu Fund

We told you HERE all about Amandla Stenberg's Hunger Games Screening For a Cause raffle benefiting the Ubuntu Fund. Christina Dover (the lucky winner) and her friend joined Amandla, Jack Quaid, and Ian Nelson to watch The Hunger Games last Saturday night. Amandla shared these photos on her blog.

On Saturday night, Ian Nelson, Jack Quaid and the winners of the Ubuntu Fund raffle joined me at WME's screening room to watch The Hunger Games. I am very thankful to Christiana Dover (@christianalove), the winner of the raffle, for her contributions to this cause. I'd like to thank everyone who supported Ubuntu by buying a raffle ticket. Every dollar counts, and together we were able to raise over $900! This money will go towards the Ubuntu Center in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, where it will be used to provide care for the kids in need in the township. 

You can help Amandla support the Ubuntu Fund by watching a short video on her blog here. For every view, Zodiak Media donates $1 to the fund. 

Jackie Emerson Interview at Leaky Con

Our friends at The Hob and Hunger Games Network had the chance to sit down with Jackie Emerson (Foxface) at LeakyCon. Jackie talked about her love of Harry Potter (she WAS at a Harry Potter convention) and about being cast in The Hunger Games. She also talked about casting the role of Coin. 

Isabelle Fuhrman: New Face of Kipling's Back-To-School Campaign

Isabelle Fuhrman is the face of Kipling's Back-To-School campaign hitting Kipling stores in early July. A few weeks back Fuhrman posted some sneak peeks of the campaign's shoot to WhoSay:

Woody Harrelson Talks 'Hunger Games' & Saving The Environment

Fans of Woody Harrelson (Haymitch) know that the environment is a cause near and dear to his heart. He's joined forces with Prairie Pulp & Paper to launch an new wheat based, tree-free paper called Step Forward Paper. Step Forward Paper is the first paper of it's kind to hit shelves in North America and is one of the most environmentally sustainable papers available. 

MTV Act spoke with Woody about his new product and snuck in a bit about The Hunger Games:

ACT: Do you try to encourage recycling and other good things for the environment while on set?

WOODY: That’s interesting you say that, because it’s my big dream, and I think it’s going to happen … that The Hunger Games 3 and 4 are going to be the most ecological sets ever. I’ll talk to you more about that when it becomes a true reality, but I think that’s what is going to happen.

It’s difficult, because I’ve got to tell you that the film industry … there is a lot of waste, and it’s not the most ecological industry, I’ll tell you that. I’ve been really wanting to see that shift, and I’m trying to do my part.

ACT: Do you think you’ve encouraged the other actors on set to be more environmentally friendly?

WOODY: Yeah, I think so. It’s all about recycling, doing composting, and instead of everybody using paper or plastic cups, for everybody to have their own individual cup, to use this non-wood paper to make all the scripts and all the rewrites and everything like that. Using biodiesel for the generators. ... It’s a big, big thing. It’s a huge production, and it’s a lot to do to try to make it green, but it’ll happen.

ACT: If you were dropped into a Hunger Games-type arena today, do you think your love of nature would help you come out as the top tribute?

WOODY: Well, yeah, of course it would. Mother Nature is going to help me out in that context. Hopefully that never happens, though!

Happy Birthday Dayo Okeniyi

Happy Birthday to our Thresh, Dayo Okeniyi! Dayo added so much personality to the small role of Thresh that we wanted MUCH more of him on screen. Here's to his ongoing success! Happy Birthday!

You can follow Dayo on twitter here. 

Willow Shields Appearing at Tampa Bay Comic Con

Live near Tampa Bay, FL or visiting in late August? You're in luck - Willow Shields (Prim) will be appearing and signing autographs at TBCC on Saturday and Sunday, August 24th and 25th, 2013. Tampa Bay Comic Con runs the 23rd-25th and will also include appearances by other stars such as Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones and Lauren Cohan from The Walking Dead. 

For more info and tickets visit the website at Tampabaycomiccon.com

Amandla Stenberg at the Max Mara Face of the Future Cocktail Party

Photo credit: JustJaredJr.

Amandla Stenberg attended (and looked amazing at) the Max Mara and W Magazine pre-party celebrating Hailee Steinfeld's Face of the Future 2013 honor at the Women In Film Crystal + Lucy Awards. 

Amandla tweeted this pic collage of the party.

 

Alexander Ludwig Is Keeping Busy With 2 New Gigs

Looks like our Cato is keeping mighty busy this summer! In addition to filming When The Game Stands Tall and completing Grown-Ups 2 (which comes out in July), Ludwig has been named as the new Cultural Influence Director of RYU, and has an upcoming role on season 2 of History Channel's Vikings. 

From the RYU Press Release:

Respect Your Universe, Inc., is thrilled to announce today that Rising Hollywood Star Alexander Ludwig has been named as the new Cultural Influence Director of RYU. Known for his most recent acting role as Cato in the popular movie The Hunger Games, Ludwig will serve as a cultural ambassador for RYU and further position himself as one of Hollywood's most promising talents with his new commitment to RYU.

"I have always seen myself as a young entrepreneur," said Alexander Ludwig about being named RYU's Cultural Influence Director. "I enjoy getting involved with people and companies that stand for good values and RYU is just that. Further, I am deeply passionate about companies that contribute to our community's future."

Ludwig, who is an accomplished all-around athlete that likes to compete in extreme freestyle ski competitions along with surfing up and down the California coastline, is a student at the University of Southern California studying film, theater and entrepreneurism. Ludwig was also a featured model in a major 2011 ad campaign and a gifted musician who is pursuing discussions for a future recording contract in addition to his passions for acting and film-making.

 "We are thrilled to have Alexander as a representative of RYU that embodies what we believe about the beauty of creative individuals to lead us forward in the human endeavor," said RYU CEO, Dr. Craig Brod. "Alexander is able to play multiple roles in his life, from actor to recording artist to athlete, and RYU is there to support all of his activities in comfort and style. Like with movies which are a medium that connects us all through living stories, Alexander is also a part of an emerging story, as is RYU."

"The moment I saw the apparel line, I was instantly excited and knew this was a company that I wanted to be involved with. The quality is exceptional and RYU's endless effort to make it an appealing and original brand shines through in its products," added Ludwig. "Additionally, I love the philosophy behind RYU and the name says it all -- respect those and everything around you and in turn you will succeed and encompass the ability to achieve greatness."

With both a Men's and Women's line currently available at http://shop.ryu.com/, RYU is an apparel brand focused on the lifestyle and performance needs of everyday athletes and individuals. RYU apparel is specifically designed to maximize movement, comfort and style. RYU's apparel and products are crafted from organic and/or recycled materials to help maintain the health of the environment.

For more information, visit http://www.ryu.com,

From The Hollywood Reporter:

History's Vikings is bulking up its ship for season two. Ludwig, who played Cato in the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-seller, will portray Bjorn, the intelligent and bold warrior son of Ragnar Lothbrok (Travis Fimmel). 

History renewed Vikings, its first original scripted series, for a 10-episode second season. Production will begin this summer for a 2014 return.

Leven Rambin & Isabelle Fuhrman Make "Hollywood's Next Big Thing" List

Leven Rambin and Isabelle Fuhrman were both included on Glamour Magazine's Hollywood's Next Big Thing List:

Remember Glimmer in The Hunger Games? This 23-year-old is ready for more action this summer with Percy Jackson 2: Sea of Monsters. We love the names of her dogs, seen here prowling the sidewalk outside the hotel. They’re Sookie Stackhouse (a nod to True Blood) and Rooney Mara. “I’m obsessed with her in real life,” Rambin says.

Our youngest up-and-comer (she’s just 16!) got some face time in The Hunger Games but recently stepped behind the camera. She was so inspired by our shoot that she came back to the Chateau to direct her sister Madeline’s music video at Bar Marmont.

Liam Hemsworth Introduces 'Paranoia' Trailer & Talks Working With Screen Legends

Liam Hemsworth introduced the new trailer from his upcoming movie Paranoia on YahooMovies and talked about working with screen legends Harrison Ford, Gary Oldman and Richard Dreyfuss. The movie comes out August 16, 2013. 

Harrison Ford shaved his head to play a duplicitous tycoon in Paranoia, and co-star Liam Hemsworth dared not to touch it.

"I didn’t rub his head," the 23-year-old actor confirmed with Yahoo! Movies. "I was afraid I might get knocked in the face or something."

Ford isn't the only screen legend Hemsworth gets to share screen time with in the corporate espionage film — he also has scenes with Gary Oldman and Richard Dreyfuss.

The Hunger Games actor admits shooting Paranoia was an intimidating experience. "Knowing that those guys were coming aboard is pretty frightening," he said of the three actors, who have all been nominated for an Oscar at one time or another (Dreyfuss won one in 1977). "I’ve never worked with people like that before."