Audio By Carbonatix
Through the soaring windows of the Mandarin Oriental Miami, it’s hard not to notice the blue skies and matching azure water. Most people find Miami’s beachy, serene views relaxing. But for fans of The Hunger Games, the vacation vista could just as easily conjure images of blister-forming nerve gas, vicious attack mutts, and a deadly countdown clock.
Those are just a few of the obstacles waiting for “tributes” inside an arena where they are tasked with fighting to the death in The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, opening this Friday. The film’s setting does have certain creepy similarities to local Miami topography: a humid, jungle-like landscape anchored by a body of salt water. From their seats at the Mandarin, actors Jena Malone, who plays the bristly Johanna Mason, and Sam Claflin, as the womanizing Finnick Odair, agree. “From what I can see of Miami, I’d say yes, it’s very similar,” Claflin replies, gesturing toward the view.
Don’t expect these stars to volunteer as tributes themselves, though. In a real-life Miami-set Hunger Games, Malone says, “[As Johanna] I would be good wherever you drop me… [but] me as Jena? Oh no, I would do horrible!” This town is too bright, too hot, and too humid, she explains — plus, she’d have to work on her bikini body.
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