HG Girl on Fire shares us their interview with one of the actors playing the Capitol Police, popularly known as the Peacekeepers. He is Jesse Lewis from North Carolina and read the article below for HG Girl on Fire's interview with him.
How’d you get cast as a Peacekeeper? Was this you first job on a film?
I got cast as a Peacekeeper because my wife is really big on the
books and found out that they were shooting in the Charlotte area. She
sent in a picture of herself and a picture of me. I got a call about 2
months later asking me if I wanted to be a peacekeeper. This was my
first job on a film.
How secretive was the set? Did you have to sign a
confidentiality agreement or was it just known that you can’t talk about
anything to anyone.
The set was extremely secretive for the main actors and the
peacekeepers. The children walked from dressing to the set but they put
us peacekeepers in white robes and transported us in vans with tinted
windows. I didn’t sign anything but they were very clear that any
pictures taken would get you kicked off the set for good. They didn’t
allow phones and stuff like that.
What was your first thought at seeing your Peacekeeper uniform?
When I first put my uniform on and looked in the mirror I smiled
because it fit, which meant I got the job. The first thing I thought of
was that this time next year they might make an action figure after me.
It was exciting, kinda like being one of the first Storm Troopers but
better.
[Note: Jesse is not featured in official still below]
Did you get to meet the main cast members? Do you have any funny stories from set?
I did get to meet most of the actors from the District 12 scenes. I
met and got to speak with Jennifer Lawrence, Elizabeth Banks, and Josh
Hutcherson while I was in the background of the scene when their names
are chosen for the games. I later met Liam Hemsworth. I met Suzanne
Collins as well but none of us knew who she was while she was talking to
us. We figured it out the next day.
Meeting Hemsworth also provides the funny story. I walked up to the
guy in between takes because I was getting some water. It was hot as
hell the entire time. Making small talk and thinking he was the stand in
for Gale. I asked him how much he was getting paid. He looked at me
kinda confused and I knew right away that he wasn’t the stand in. I told
him who I thought he was and retracted my question. He started laughing
and introduced himself. He seemed really down to earth and and made an
effort to talk to any of the kids that said hello.
How familiar with the story were you before you started?
Before I started working on the film I was not familiar with the
stories at all. While working on the reaping in between takes I actually
asked Josh Hutcherson how he was going to die (in the movie). He
started laughing and said, “you clearly haven’t read the book”.
I was not aware of how emotionally draining some of the scenes were
until Katniss traded herself for Prim. They shot that part over and
over. Not one of the children in the crowd made a noise. It was deep and
very emotional.
Were you shocked to see yourself in the trailer? Were you aware of how emotionally draining your scenes might be for the actors and the viewers?
I wasn’t really shocked to see myself in the trailer. I figured if
they showed Elizabeth Banks that I would be behind her. I was also
probably the only person in the world to know if was me. I was more
excited to see the other peacekeepers in the trailer than myself. It was
cool seeing people you got to know in action on the big screen. They
all looked so intimidating and mean in the trailer but were all really
nice guys.
Thank you HG Girl on Fire.
