Kieran Culkin reveals ‘no-brainer’ decision behind ‘The Hunger Games’
Kieran Culkin thought turning down The Hunger Games was a “no-brainer.”
The 44-year-old actor plays Caesar Flickerman, the character first portrayed by Stanley Tucci, in the new prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, and he has admitted he was ready to snub the role, having jokingly told a fan to “lower those expectations” when he was first cast.
He told The Hollywood Reporter, “Oh yeah, that was when I was on Broadway. You know, you come out, people are doing what you’re doing and f****** taking videos while I’m trying to have an interaction with somebody.”
“People were like, ‘Oh, I hear you’re doing Hunger Games,’ and I was like, ‘Lower those f****** expectations,’ because at that point, I had no clue what I was going to do with it,” Culkin added.
The actor further mentioned, “It was already too much pressure. To me, this was like a no-brainer — don’t do it, because everyone loves what Stanley Tucci did with the role.”
Culkin was convinced fans were “gonna hate” his approach to the character, who they already knew so well from the original movies.
He said, “I feel like I’m being set up for failure. [They’ll say], ‘That’s not Caesar!’ No matter what I do. But I found a different take on it, something that I think connects to his.”
The Succession star hasn’t spoken to Tucci about the role, but developed his own understanding for the character, suggesting any of Caeser’s empathy wasn’t real.
“I’m not sure if that’s genuine or not. I think it’s a little bit performative. That’s just my take on it. It could be interpreted differently, but I think whether or not this Caesar that I’m playing has any empathy is really not the point to him. He needs to succeed,” he explained.
“He needs this to go well, and he needs to get the promotion he’s looking for. So, it doesn’t matter whether or not he has empathy; he shuts it off.”
When his casting was announced, producer Nina Jacobson praised his suitability for the role, saying, “Kieran’s magnetism, wit, and unpredictability make him a perfect fit for Caesar Flickerman.
“A host like Caesar transforms brutality into entertainment, and an actor as layered as Kieran makes sure we don’t look away,” the producer added.
It is pertinent to mention that Sunrise on the Reaping, to be released on November 20, is based on Suzanne Collins’ latest novel and takes place 24 years before the events of the first film and centered around a young Haymitch Abernathy (Joseph Zada) during the 50th Hunger Games.
