As Alexander Ludwig fields questions from local media outlets in a downtown Vancouver hotel, The Hunger Games’ colossal $155-million opening weekend is still two days in the future. However, no one would be foolish enough to call this the calm before the storm.

The previous day, hordes of teenaged fans queued for upwards of 12 hours to score his autograph at a Chapters bookstore. Earlier this morning, he needed to evade another throng of girls who’d staked out his appearance at a local radio station. “I wouldn’t wait five minutes for me,” marvels the 19-year-old West Vancouver native. “I don’t really understand what’s happening.”

What’s happened, of course, is that Ludwig has scored a coveted role in the highly-anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ popular young adult novel. In a dystopian future, a totalitarian regime has established a televised bloodsport/show-of-power in which 24 teenagers enter and only one survives. (With the contestants required to curry favour with the audience by establishing backstories and subplots for themselves, the parallels to reality television are easily spotted.)

At the centre of the tale is good-hearted Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), who must survive more merciless competitors like Ludwig’s Cato.

Having previously enjoyed prominent roles in lower profile movies like The Seeker and Race to Witch Mountain, The Hunger Games presented Ludwig a new challenge: breathing life into a major character who isn’t blessed with a wealth of dialogue.

“A lot of it was creating backstory. Suzanne, (director) Gary Ross and I sat down and talked about the character. Luckily, Suzanne is such a great writer that part of it was already mapped out for me in the novel,” he recalls of the process.

“The interesting part was trying to justify what Cato was doing. As an actor, if you’re playing someone like that, you have to fully believe that everything that character is doing is for the right reasons. And you have to come up with reasons why that is okay. It was a very dark and intense but fulfilling experience as an actor.

“The reason I took the role was because of one scene near the end of the movie. You really see, just for a second, a glimpse of humanity in Cato,” he continues. “At that very last second, people kind of sympathize with him. Even though what he’s doing is horrible and unforgivable, you kind of see where he’s coming from.”

A graduate of Collingwood School, Ludwig is now a theatre major at the University of Southern California.

As he tells it, his time on set only furthered his education. “One of my favourite scenes was getting to work opposite Stanley Tucci [who plays flamboyant media darling Caesar Flickerman],” shares Ludwig. “I learned so much from him just in the five minutes that we talked. When we first met, I was already taking down mental notes. ‘Remember everything Tucci says.’”

While Ludwig admits that he was occasionally starstruck in the presence of Tucci and Lenny Kravitz, he and younger co-stars such as Josh Hutcherson established some immediate rivalries. “We were all duking it out right from the time we got to training. It was all in good fun but I’m a very competitive person at heart. That’s one thing I did relate to in my character.”

Showing that he knows his way around a metaphor, he surmises, “I like to think of my career as the arena that Cato’s in. I have to duke it out with everyone else and hopefully come out on top.”

He laughs before adding, “And hopefully not die.”

They didn’t have to kill each other, but, according to Hunger Games star Alexander Ludwig, there was a healthy sense of competition on the North Carolina set of the juggernaut teen franchise.

“We did do exercises where we’d have to flip huge monster-truck tires, and a lot of cool physical stuff, just to keep us in the right head space,” says the Vancouver actor who plays Cato, one of 24 “tributes” faced with the ultimate struggle to survive.

“No boxing matches or anything like that,” he says. “We all got along . . . and we all knew we were part of something pretty special.”

Even though Ludwig wasn’t a Hunger Games neophyte before he read the script, he quickly educated himself once he was part of the prospective casting pool. He pored over the Suzanne Collins books, and figured out the central attraction wasn’t just the action or the love story.

“This is part of the zeitgeist,” he says, pointing to the parallels with shows such as Survivor, or even American Idol, where contestants are eliminated one by one.

“Modern reality TV sets up these competitive situations to show us real human nature,” he says. “This movie is a metaphor of that. And it’s a pretty edgy concept.”

Despite being set in a not-too-distant future, where civilization has devolved to the point of human sacrifice, Ludwig says the actual emotional content of the film is timeless, human and entirely earnest.

What he found refreshing, however, is the way the movie is allowed to show a little bit of camp, in addition to an epic scale.

“It’s kind of fake, but it’s real, because they were playing off the reality TV show. They wanted that feel. In fact, I have to say, of all the movies I have worked on in the past, this is the one with the least amount of CGI,” he says. “Even though we’re in this futuristic world and this futuristic story, it wasn’t hard to imagine we were there, because we shot in very real locations.”

Ludwig credits the successful mood and feeling to the hard work of director Gary Ross, but also series author Suzanne Collins, who came up with the concept of teen sacrifice in a post-apocalyptic universe.

“This is a complete world, and I think, once you see the movie, you enter that world.”

Fortunately, Ludwig says the kill-or-be-killed part of the narrative was something all the actors left behind on set.

“We became a family so quickly,” he says of his work with co-stars Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence.

“I was just in Toronto with Josh, and it was great. We get along so well.”

Hutcherson plays Peeta in the movie, and, in many respects, it’s Peeta who represents the biggest threat to Ludwig’s Cato — even if he’s much smaller, and has about half the muscle mass.

“The thing about Peeta is he’s the one everyone can relate to. He’s just an ordinary guy who realizes he’s not going to survive using his physicality alone. . . . It’s cool, because it’s not a cop-out to run away. It’s more important to survive, and Peeta finds a way to do that,” says Ludwig. “That’s what makes him heroic.”

By contrast, Cato, who possesses all the manly qualities of a typical matinee hero, is the one who emerges as the de facto villain.

“Cato is this big alpha guy,” says Ludwig. “But I’m not like him. As competitive as I am, I’m actually in the process of losing some of this bulk, because I don’t really want to be known as that alpha guy. I mean, I don’t think Shakespeare had a need for the six-foot muscle man,” says Ludwig.

“Acting is what I love. I love being the chameleon, and you can’t do that if you have just one physical type.”

Although he’s not yet 20, Ludwig is already a veteran of the acting business, having landed the lead role in The Seeker (2007), followed by a star turn in Race to Witch Mountain (2009).

When he landed a part in The Hunger Games, he knew it would be a turning point.

“Everyone in Hollywood wanted a role in this movie,” he says. “Everyone wanted to have a part in it. I feel so lucky that I got one, but what I find so cool about Hunger Games is that the real star is the story itself.”

Ludwig says if he’s fortunate enough to stay in the business and call his own shots, he’d like to keep making movies such as The Hunger Games or Blood Diamond — one of his favourite movies of all time, because it balanced action with human drama.

“I like movies that instil passion in the viewer,” he says. “I like movies that can teach us about who we are as people.”

And for all the hype surrounding The Hunger Games, the fact is: It’s actually saying something, according to Ludwig.

“I think this is a story that shows us the power of hope, and the (redeeming) quality of love,” he says. “And that’s pretty cool.”

Can you tell me when did you begin as an actor? Which was your debut? And how did all this happen?
I started as an actor when I was  9.  My mom was an actress so I just kept harassing  her to take me to see her agent and finally she relented.  I landed my first acting job when I went for my first audition, it was an  Harry Potter commercial.

Who are your role models as an actor? Which are the people you admire?
I admire any actor who works hard on his craft. Leonardo Di Caprio is hugely inspirational, as is Johnny Depp.  They have both stayed true to who they are as actors and also true to who they are as people.

Which has been your best experience so far as an actor?
That’s a difficult question and impossible to answer. I take something special from each experience.
Since my blog is about style, which v.i.p do you think has a cool style?
Ryan Gosling has great style and combines a cool vibe with elegance. So does Brad Pitt. I admire both these guys.
What’s your personal definition of elegance?  Which is your everyday style?
I like clothes that are well made and have an edge.
And you most treasured item in your wardrobe?
As far as a most treasured item…it has to be my leather jacket.

Tell me something about your role in ‘The Hunger games’? Have you read the books before shooting? What did you like about your role?
Cato is a bit misunderstood.  Although he is a hard core killer in the arena, you do get to see more of a human side to him in his final moments. He is athletic, skilled and a fierce contender.
I read all the books before shooting.  I was hooked immediately.

What have you learned on this set? And what do you think will be interesting for the public?
I learned hand to hand combat and  sword fighting which were both taught to me by a Navy Seal. That was pretty cool. I am a really active guy so I loved the training.

Dreams for the future?
I hope to be acting for a long time to come.

“I started traveling Europe with a couple buddies after my senior year, and while traveling Europe, I made it my goal to physically sculpt my body so I could portray the character. I was really getting ready for that role. When it came down to it, it was between me, Josh Hutcherson and one other kid,” Ludwig tells BULLETT‘s Spring issue.

Director Gary Ross felt Ludwig’s talents were better suited for another role, “and Josh really did a great job of portraying Peeta’s overall essence,” Ludwig says.

“Gary was like, ‘Listen, I’d really love you to just try reading for this really quickly while I’m in the room. He gave me the script and asked me to read it as a cold read.”

Ludwig says his favorite part about being
“Usually I’m always playing the nice guy, and it’s fun playing the bad guy once in a while, he tells BULLETT. “I got to really experiment with a side of me that I’ve never seen before and definitely the audience hasn’t seen before, so it’ll be really fun to see how people respond.”

- The Marilyn Denis Show (Part 1)
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CHECK : Newmusiclive.ca

Isabelle Fuhrman as Clove, Alexander Ludwig as Cato and Amandla Stenberg as Rue charmed us at our recent interview. As feisty and sometimes cruel Tributes Cato and Clove, Alex and Isabelle might not be our favorite people but, the actors playing them are fun and friendly.  Little Rue won our hearts in the book and will win yours in the movie. 13-year-old Amandla told us some funny tales of on-set antics.

Picture Amandla in a cute lime green Burberry dress (she played the young Zoe Saldana in the movie Columbiana). Alex, who was the star of Race to Witch Mountain, is all grown up and hot in a tan V-neck sweater and black slacks.  Isabelle creeped us out in the psych thriller Orphan and will co-star with Super 8’s Joel Courtney in a serious family drama The Healer.  She has Clove’s long black hair and is in trendy beige jacket over white tee with jeans.

TeenHollywood: [shaking hands with a very tall grown up Alex] Long time since “Witch Mountain”, dude!

Alex: Seriously, right? Oh my God.

TeenHollywood: Alex, your scene also involves a great emotional thing where we see that Cato is tough but he’s really just a teen in a horrible situation. Was that fun for you as an actor?

Alex: That scene was the sole reason why I decided to do this. Every once in a while, it’s great to try something new and dive into the dark side of humanity. That’s a reason why I loved Cato. He’s a villain in the movie but, at the end of the day, these are all innocent kids thrown into this crazy fight to survive. You see a little bit of humanity in Cato at the end and it makes you have a little hope in humanity.

TeenHollywood: This movie has a very dark, sci-fi future. Did any of you have a favorite bad future book or movie when you were younger? Also a kind of sick reality TV theme is addressed in the film. Do you guys watch any of that?

Alex: Guilty pleasure? “Jersey Shore”. You’re like “Are you serious? This is really happening?” Then another one I like is called “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”, crazy stories of people in horrible situations and you are like “Hasn’t this person died already?” and you keep watching. It’s crazy.

TeenHollywood: Can you guys talk about working with Jennifer?

Alex: She’s great, just unreal. We became huge fans on set.

TeenHollywood: Are any of you into making music?

Alex: Actually I’m releasing my first single in 24 hours [it’s out now].

Isabelle: You didn’t tell me that!

Alex: Yeah. I write my own music and it’s always been a passion of mine since I was a little kid and, hopefully, it’s coming to life. I’m working with The Fray.

Isabelle: I love The Fray! Why didn’t you tell me this?

Alex: Their producer Aaron Johnson who did their work on “How to Save a Life” I’m working with him right now and the first single comes out tomorrow so I’m excited.

TeenHollywood: How does that work with your acting career?

Alex: It kind of doesn’t. That’s the way I wanted to keep it. Two very different things in my life. I wanted to get this out before The Hunger Games so it wouldn’t be that actor turned musician. I’ve always wanted to do both. The single is called “Live It Up” and one the flipside is “Teenage Wasteland”. It’s about traveling Europe with a buddy.

TeenHollywood: The movie has tons of violence but it is rated PG-13 and the violence is done very well. Did you ever feel like you were getting too violent in the film?

Alex: Absolutely not.

Alex: It’s about the brains of each person as well. They try to figure out ways to survive and strategize. Cato probably has the most violence in the film. Of course the movie is going to depict things that could be risqué but they kept it quite light, I’d say.

Alex: It’s a movie that the masses can see.