A new featurette about "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay" contains a revealing interview with star Julianne Moore, who's joining the ensemble as President Coin for the last two chapters in the blockbuster film series.In the clip, Moore discusses her love of the source material books, citing their political nature and how they challenge readers (and now viewers) about their own role in real life political systems. The actress also brought up the series' underlying theme of hope, and how it's a crucial aspect of the characters' lives.
As for subjects dealing with "Mockingjay" specifically, Moore delved into her interpretation of District 13, the once assumed destroyed district of Panem that's revealed to have survived destruction by the Capitol at the end of "Catching Fire." The people of the district, which Moore's character leads, "have managed to kind of eke out a living" in the underground city, Moore said, though they're malnourished and discontented.
"It's not a place where there's a lot of light, there's not a lot of laughter, there's not a lot of fun," the actress said. "It's people just barely getting by."
Speaking of Coin, Moore said that when she read Suzanne Collins's books, she knew she wanted to play the character, who she described as "sparingly drawn ... because she's only spoken about from Katniss's point of view, and Katniss immediately distrusts her in the way that sometimes a younger person will distrust an older person who's not familiar to them or is in a position of authority."
"[Director] Francis [Lawrence] and I talked about that a lot, about, 'Well, how do we communicate Coin's wholeness as a person?'" Moore continued. "I think Katniss's response to her is very well-drawn, but we don't know who Coin is."
For much more from Moore -- including her thoughts on co-star Jennifer Lawrence, who she describes as "a great girl and very funny," and the scene in the movie she thinks is most revealing about President Coin -- check out the entire interview.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1" hits theaters on November 21.