Harrelson says that he doesn't want his portrayal of Haymitch to slip into 'Barfly' cliches, so he presents the fan-favorite character as a 'snazzy dresser, or at least a dresser with his own style.'
- Jan 11, 2012
AceShowbiz - "The Hunger Games" will likely present a stylish Haymitch Abernathy. The character is described in the book as a "paunchy, middle-aged man" who is also a terrible alcoholic, but the actor filling in the part, Woody Harrelson, claims that he doesn't want to portray the character in a "Barfly" stereotype.
Instead, Harrelson'd like to present the mentor for Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark as a "snazzy dresser" alcoholic. "He's got a drinking problem and he's got some issues and he's damaged, but I didn't want to do it totally like your typical version of an alcoholic in a movie," the actor told Los Angeles Times' Hero Complex. "So I tried to keep him a little put-together."
The "Rampart" star went on explaining, "I dressed up from what you would expect, too. That was one of my things I wanted, to make him, particularly in the Capitol, a bit of a snazzy dresser, or at least a dresser with his own style."
Haymitch is the former champion of the 50th Hunger Games who must serve as the mentor to Katniss and Peeta, two youngsters who join the fight-to-the-death live televised annual event sponsored by the Panem government. Despite his cynical and slippery personality, he becomes a fan-favorite character among readers.
Aside from talking about his character, Harrelson also shared his experience in working for the highly anticipated novel adaptation. "It's good writing and it just keeps you on the edge. And making [the movie] was a fun experience with just really cool people," he gushed. "I was really impressed by everybody that was associated with it."
"The look of everything is amazing too," he continued. "The wardrobe is incredible and the make-up, the [stuff] they came up with is mind-blowing. The imagination behind the hair and the make-up and set decoration, it was just really impressive. It's the work of brilliant people."
The 50-year-old actor believes that the film will be great with Gary Ross serving behind the lens. "I don't know how the movie is going to turn out but it's Gary Ross so I'm sure it's going to turn out great," he stated.
"The Hunger Games" is set to open wide the theaters across the U.S. on March 23. Jennifer Lawrence and Josh Hutcherson star as Katniss and Peeta respectively. They are joined by Liam Hemsworth as Gale Hawthorne, Elizabeth Banks as Effie Trinket, Lenny Kravitz as Cinna, Amandla Stenberg as Rue and Alexander Ludwig as Cato.
