it’s the hunger games renaissance so i just want to remind everyone that donald sutherland (who played president snow) was on a cia watchlist for anti-war activities. he fully understood the role and message of the books and in an interview literally said “he runs a totalitarian state, he’s an oligarch- we have them here” during an interview.
We came here from a dying world. We drift through the universe, from planet to planet, pushed on by the solar winds. We adapt and we survive. The function of life is survival.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) dir. Philip Kaufman
Just saw the interview in which Donald Sutherland was talking about how president Snow was looking for a successor when he found Katniss. And he had this thought process that if he could defeat her he could win and winning would just be turning Katniss into a new Snow. Which is kind of terrifying when you think about the amount of things young Coryo and Katniss had in common.
It's interesting to think about that Snow saw Katniss not only as a worthy opponent but as a worthy successor to the presidency of Panem.
I think deep down Snow was looking forward to twisting Katniss mind the way Dr Gaul twisted his and ultimately almost succeeded (when Prim died), had it not been for Peeta helping her heal
Donald Sutherland on Snow's relationship with Katniss (audio on obvs)
Donald Sutherland discusses Snow's relationship with Katniss extensively in interviews but these aren't very well known, so I ripped the relevant audio and set it to clips from the films, as well as using some pieces from the DVD extras. I cleaned up the audio the best I could but these are from a diverse range of sources so forgive the unevenness.
I didn't intend this to come out so... erotic(???) but Sutherland just talks Like That
might be a little late to this train but hear me out. considering there is a possibility that everything about the hunger games has to be approved by snow first, do you think he saw the jabberjay section for the 75th arena and felt ice go down his back? do you think he pretended to laugh while plutarch presented his ideas, gripping the edge of his desk as the old memories flooded back in, then went to excuse himself because that one part hit a little too close to home? do you think he thought it would give him satisfaction to watch katniss and peeta suffer like he did once, standing in the muck of their district, trying his best not to squirm as his dead best friend’s voice spilled from a hundred beaks, only to find that it doesn’t really do anything except remind him of lucy gray and sejanus plinth, sparks of a different revolution, and now all he can hear is i’m not made of sugar. are you, are you coming to the tree? ma! ma! ma! all he can hear are his ghosts.
he used to draw, learning how to use oil colors and mixing paint would be a feasible hobby to fit in between concerts.
in an interview he said: "i like the idea of doing something that scares me because that's where you learn the most."
his teenage (and ironic) fear of snakes derived from Indiana Jones and the unknown terrors that lurk in deep waters were conquered through exposure therapy.
he is studying and learning to speak Italian for his next film.
the mix of teenage angst, self-loathing and mischief has been processed in therapy. Now that you have competent knowledge, confidence and experience, acting has become more of something you can experiment with, learn from and expand on.
for Tom, acting used to be a form of escape. In an interview he talked about it: "i love accents, costumes, anything that takes me further away from myself because before I simply wanted to be anything but myself."
Donald Sutherland was actually one of his favorite characters in the original films of 'the hunger games'. In an interview he spoke about him and said: "i think he is one of the best villains in modern cinema."
Maya Hawke and Tom met at the Juilliard audition, the first time they started talking was at a school question and answer session.
he always creates a playlist for each character he's playing.
he gets a little camera shy when playing himself.
his passion for acting was influenced by his father, although he did not spend much time with him because he died when he was young.
during the pandemic, Tom was living in a cabin in the woods upstate, and he got up at 8 a.m. every day to chop wood for the wood stove to stay warm. "I was living this kind of lonely life and auditioning every day and just looking for the right job."
he loved western movies when he was a child.
at the premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, in Los Angeles. After he took off his oversized jacket, exposing his arms, Rachel Zegler spent the next day sending him messages about the "thirst trap."
his favorite rom-com movie is 'When Harry Met Sally'.