Exclusive

Mockingjay: Josh Hutcherson Talks "Strangling" Jennifer Lawrence—Watch Now!

Actor also weighs in about saying goodbye to the Hunger Games franchise

By Marc Malkin Nov 18, 2014 3:22 PMTags

Poor, Josh Hutcherson.

Not only does his character, Peeta, seem to turn on Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Part 1, but he actually physically attacks her, too.

"When I had to strangle Katniss at the end of the movie that was really intense," Hutcherson told me last night at the Mockingjay premiere at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live. "It took a lot of choreographing and a lot of time. So that was definitely the hardest."

Saying goodbye to the Hungers Games franchise is pretty hard, too.

Matt Sayles/Invision/AP

"I'm going to miss everything," Hutcherson said. "I'm going to miss the shooting so much. I'm going to miss the cast, the crew, everyone.

"I'm personally sad right now," he continued. "I'm putting on a fake happy façade, but internally I'm crying."

Last night's white runway premiere (the traditional red carpet was replaced by glossy white wood) also saw Lawrence, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Sam Claflin, Willow Shields, Evan Ross, Natalie Dormer and Jeffrey Wright.

"I'd also like to thank and remember a missing part of our family here, Philip Seymour Hoffman," director Francis Lawrence said in memory of the late Oscar winner, who died from a drug overdose in February.

Video. #mockingjaypremiere party!

A video posted by marcmalkin (@marcmalkin) on

After the screening, a party was held under a giant tent erected on top of a nearby parking garage. (Lawrence changed out of her white Dior dress into a black ensemble for the bash.)

The entrance included giant pieces of fake cement rubble and hundreds of President Snow's white roses. Inside, guests were greeted by several woman dressed as Effie and avoxes.

Flashing fluorescent red, orange, yellow and white lights were hung over the party, which also included pots of lush green succulents and industrial pipe fixtures and grey couches.

The buffet offered chicken, beef and salmon dishes along with kale and faro salad. Dessert stations were stocked with pumpkin spice whoopie pies, black forest cake, apple tarts, chocolate pudding parfait and peppermint cheesecake bites.

Mockingjay is in theaters on Nov. 21.

Latest News