STATESVILLE, N.C. — The highly anticipated movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ novel “The Hunger Games” is set to premiere at Marquee Cinemas in Statesville just after midnight Friday morning.
The movie theater has sold about 100 tickets so far for the opening screening, but a certain group of Statesville natives has been especially eagerly awaiting the debut.
Jay Smith, Casey Pharr, Kawsar Alyemeni, Christian Paez and Amy Hill are among a group from Statesville who worked as extras in “The Hunger Games,” which was filmed largely in parts of Shelby, Concord, Charlotte and Asheville. Others from Iredell served as extras as well.
Extras Casting Coordinator Tona Dahlquist was in the area a few years ago for the screening of “Leatherheads,” which filmed scenes in Statesville, and said the experience was just as wonderful the second time around. She called the crew rounded up for the movie “the best extras ever.”
“They were all professional,” said Dahlquist. “They’re fun. They were just phenomenal. I can’t say enough.”
Several casting calls around the county yielded the extras who were invited to participate.
“It made the story a lot better for me because I read the books,” said Pharr, a 2008 NIHS graduate. “When you read, you always pretend you’re there. And I got to be (in the scene) and see what it looked like.”
“The Hunger Games” is the first in a trilogy of bestselling books that documents a fictional, futuristic nation called Panem, which is controlled by the Capitol. The Hunger Games are an annual event where one boy and one girl from each of the districts surrounding the Capitol are randomly selected to compete in a televised fight-to-the-death.
Pharr was cast as a Capitol resident and did his filming at the old Phillip Morris property in Concord. Costume designers dressed him in high-top shiny sneakers, tight black pants, a silver sequined vest and hair with glued-in blue streaks.
Pharr worked four days, about 12 hours each one, arriving at 5 p.m. for make-up and not leaving until filming finished anywhere from 5 to 9 a.m.
“It was surreal is what it was,” Pharr said. “You always watch movies when you grow up and they don’t seem real.”
The issues tackled through the narrative of “The Hunger Games” include severe poverty, starvation and oppression, and Marquee Cinemas is getting involved with the movie’s message.
The premiere slated for midnight doubles as a food drive, which Smith said would most likely benefit Iredell Christian Ministries. Everyone is encouraged to bring a couple cans of food to the theater. A donation box will be in place.
Marquee Cinemas’ manager Charles Rabun said going to the movies was about more than being entertained.
“I’ve been in this business for 26 years and (movie theaters) have always done things to give back to the community,” said Rabun. “The theater needs to be a part of the community.”
WSOC
