The cast of the fourth and final “Hunger Games” movie made headlines this week when the movie’s Los Angeles premiere was scaled down in honor of the victims of the deadly attacks in Paris.
The film’s director, Francis Lawrence, explained today on “Good Morning America” that the cast and crew made the decision in large part because they felt “very close” to Paris.
Behind the Scenes With 'The Hunger Games' Cast 'The Hunger Games' Cast Pays Tribute to Paris at LA Movie Premiere“We shot in Paris for six weeks. We lived there,” Francis Lawrence said. “A huge majority of our crew is French and so it hit us hard.”
Monday's premiere for "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 2" was without the usual high-profile red carpet glitz and glamour.
“I think we felt strange and odd to be out there selling the movie with smiles on our faces but we also didn’t want to disappoint fans and we didn’t want to disappoint the charities like Make-A-Wish that come out for these things,” Francis Lawrence said. “So we decided to just focus on the fans and focus on the charities.”
Francis Lawrence, who directed two other “Hunger Games” movies, said the conclusion of the franchise has been "really satisfying" and "emotional."
"It’s been the most creatively fulfilling part of my life, absolutely," Francis Lawrence said. "These stories are unbelievable. The characters are unbelievable. The group of people I got to work with are incredible."
The series' stars -- Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth -- described their friendship as “codependent.”
“You can’t describe what we have,” said Hemsworth. “I hate the world colleagues.”
“We have a very unhealthy workplace environment and we’ve translated that into a friendship,” Hutcherson said, with Jennifer Lawrence adding, “We make our codependent, unhealthy relationship work.”
The stars said they continue to be blown away by the support of their fans, including the roughly 6,000 who waited in the cold for them at the premiere of “Mockingjay – Part 2” in Berlin.
“This whole thing has been just incredible,” Jennifer Lawrence said. “Our fan support is unbelievable.”
One of the stars of the film, Donald Sutherland, said he hopes the movie stirs young people to action.
“It’s a wonderful anti-war picture and if young people go and look at it and become politicized...it will be a true success," he said.
"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2" opens in theaters Friday.