By: debbie lynn elias
Already a best selling book series the world over, THE HUNGER GAMES will make its movie debut with an extremely large – and teen/young adult dominated – fan base at the ready, prepared to cheer on their favorites, both on and off screen. As we have seen throughout the decades with movies, music and movie franchises, that cheering and championing always involves a high threshold of emotion and can often turn into frenzied scenes of fans clamoring to get near their favorite actor or character.
Some of the cast are already experiencing first-hand effects of fans hungry for THE HUNGER GAMES. One of the most enthusiastic cast members when it comes to his fans is Alexander Ludwig. According to Ludwig who plays Cato, “There is one fan who just always knows where we’re all going to be, every single time we’re there. I would go to the airport, and there he would be. It’s gotten to where we know each other, on a first-name basis. I’m like, ‘Oh, man, what’s up? You found me again! Should I call the police?’ But, other than that, all the fans have just been so supportive. We did a Vanity Fair spread for THE HUNGER GAMES, and we were on set, and I saw a little head pop up from the tree. There were three teenage girls who snuck past security and made it into the forest. There are funny things like that. But, all in all, it’s just really flattering to have that much support.”
And while Hutcherson’s Peeta and Hemsworth’s Gale may be lusting for Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss, females the world over are falling in their tracks at the very sight of these Hollywood hunks, as Jennifer Lawrence can humorously vouch for. Listening to Lawrence describe the recent Los Angeles leg of THE HUNGER GAMES mall tour across the U.S., one can’t help but recall stories back in the day about Elvis Presley and The Beatles, when fan frenzy really started to take shape. “I felt like Justin Timberlake from NSYNC. It was nuts! One girl almost fainted. But, it’s never for me. I sit in between the two guys when we’re signing. Liam [Hemsworth] is on one side and Josh [Hutcherson] is on the other. So, they start with Liam, and then he speaks with his Australian accent and somebody passes out. And then, I barely get a chance to put my name on the poster before they slide it over to Josh, and they’re like, ‘Oh, my god! I loved you in . . .,’ and they’re crying again. I’m just like, ‘It’s okay. Screw me. Who am I?’ I practiced my signature for so long, and now I don’t even get to use it.”
Very pragmatic on the issue of fan frenzy are Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth. According to Hutcherson, “Whether it happens over 10 years, like with a lot of people, or with one hit movie that thrusts you into that world, when you become successful as an actor, you become well known. In the end game, that’s just part of the business.” Hemsworth reflectively elaborates, stating, “We love making movies. We got into this business to make movies. At the end of the day, regardless of whether you’re doing a huge budget film or a small budget film, you still want the film to do well, and have people see it. That’s the whole point, isn’t it? You want to put some kind of message into your films, and you want people to see it.”
Of course, Isabelle Fuhrman who plays the Tribute, Clove, may have the cure-all for any out-of control frenzy. “My mom is probably more scared than I am. She’s always very nervous about me going to walk with my friends by myself now. She’s like, ‘Be careful. You never know.’ And I’m like, ‘I’m fine. I can throw knives now! I’m the last one you have to worry about.’”
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