Elizabeth Banks had ditched a few of her over-the-top accessories and came strolling over with a cup of coffee.
She still had most of the heavy makeup on, which made her look a little more human than usual.
"Hey, kid. Nice reaction back there. How'd it feel acting opposite me?"
Her personality was surprisingly chill—a total 180 from the cartoonish Effie she played on screen.
Cassius thought to himself: I didn't really get to act with you much yet! The biggest moment we had was you just calling my name!
"Ms. Banks, your performance was the real showstopper," Cassius said with an easy smile, going straight for the professional compliment.
He wasn't blowing smoke—she really had killed it.
He even pointed at the still-blindingly bright dress she was wearing.
"Especially that battle armor of yours. It really pops."
Elizabeth burst out laughing. "You like it? When I put this thing on I feel like I could take over the world. This character is so much fun."
After nearly a full week of shooting, the Reaping square scenes were finally wrapped.
The crew started packing up, getting ready to move to the soundstage.
They still had one major sequence to film there: the interior scenes inside the train carrying the tributes from District 12 to the glittering Capitol.
The train car had been built inside a massive soundstage.
For the exterior shots of the train speeding through fields and tunnels, the production had rented a stretch of an active scenic railway and transformed one of the cars into a sleek, futuristic-looking interior.
The first time Cassius stepped into that Capitol Express car, it felt like walking out of the slums and straight into some high-tech concept store.
Smooth metallic walls, plush couches you could sink into, weirdly shaped light fixtures, and glowing control panels that gave off a soft futuristic hum.
Everything was the polar opposite of District 12's rough edges.
"This set is badass!" Jennifer said, following him inside. She let out a low whistle and ran her hand along the sleek wall. "This beats the hell out of Twelve. Who'd want to go back to hunting in the woods after living like this?"
"That's exactly the effect the Capitol wants," Cassius replied, looking around.
The sudden shift from poverty to luxury would hit Peeta hard. It would crank up his confusion and discomfort even more.
He needed to nail exactly how Peeta would feel in a place like this.
Today's scenes focused mainly on the first interactions between Katniss and Peeta on the train.
That's when a figure in an old vest and rumpled shirt came shuffling into the car.
Messy blond hair, lean face, eyes sharp and bright, carrying that laid-back, slightly cynical artist vibe.
It was Woody Harrelson.
He was playing Haymitch Abernathy—their mentor.
"Hey, everybody."
Woody's voice was a little raspy, easygoing. He gave Director Gary Ross a nod. "Gary, I'm not late, am I?"
"Right on time, Woody," Gary said with a smile, walking over to greet him. "Welcome to the Capitol Express. These two are Jennifer Lawrence and Cassius."
"Mr. Harrelson, really excited to work with you," Cassius said.
He had admired the guy's work in his last life. Never thought he'd actually get to act opposite him.
This man was a true acting powerhouse.
Oscar nominations were basically Tuesday brunch for him, and he could crush comedy, drama, or this kind of washed-up eccentric with equal brilliance.
The attribute orbs coming off him were probably top-tier.
"Just call me Woody," he said, waving it off. His eyes immediately went to the long table loaded with Capitol delicacies—golden roasted poultry, meats dripping with sauce, fresh fruit, fancy desserts.
"Tsk~ Not even a salad in sight!"
Gary chuckled. "We know you're vegetarian, Woody. Don't worry—your trailer's got specially prepared food. For the dining scenes we'll make sure you get vegetables and desserts, all plant-based."
"That works for me!"
Woody turned to Cassius and Jennifer. "So what are we shooting today? Two kids sitting in a fancy train car, eyes popping at all this fake luxury food while listening to their drunk old mentor lecture them?"
"Pretty much," Gary said with a laugh, pulling out the shooting schedule. "We'll start with the three of you meeting in the dining car, then some one-on-ones. Woody, it's all on you to bring that perfect Haymitch level of burnout."
"Burnout's my specialty," Woody said with a shrug. He pulled a metal flask-looking bottle from his pocket, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip.
Cassius caught a glimpse—dark liquid inside, no alcohol smell. Probably tea or some herbal drink.
The guy had even brought his own props.
He was already in character.
Before they started rolling they did the usual blocking and line read-through.
Woody Harrelson had a very distinctive way of running lines. He didn't stick word-for-word to the script. Instead he locked onto Haymitch's rhythm—slightly slurred, hungover-lazy, but every line carried sharp, biting undertones.
Running lines with him gave Cassius both pressure and excitement.
This was what going up against a real master felt like.
Right as Woody delivered one of Haymitch's lines about "dying pretty in the arena" in that careless drawl, a glowing golden attribute orb dropped from him:
[Deep Character Immersion & Improvised Dialogue Vitality +10]
Cassius's heart jumped. Golden!
He kept his face neutral, pretending to study his script, and absorbed it immediately.
Instantly, a massive wave of insight flooded his mind—how to fully merge your own qualities with a character and give dialogue a living, breathing quality that went way beyond the written words.
He got his first real taste of how Woody Harrelson could become whoever he played while still leaving his own unmistakable mark on the role.
No wonder the guy was a legend.
Cassius felt like he'd already won just by being in the same scene.
This train ride was paying off big time.
After they finished running lines, Woody seemed pleased with how both Cassius and Jennifer had responded.
"Not bad. You two didn't get thrown off by my improv. Solid work."
They moved into the actual take.
The first scene was the three of them meeting in the dining car for the first time.
Effie Trinket, still in one of her ridiculously bright dresses, made her exaggerated introduction of Haymitch and then left.
The camera focused on the long table.
Cassius and Jennifer sat on the plush couch, staring at the feast in front of them with a mix of shock and barely hidden hunger.
It was a long shot.
At first neither of them spoke. Jennifer's Katniss sat there, clearly still thinking about her mother, her little sister, and the boy she grew up with back home.
Cassius's Peeta spoke to her gently, and when she didn't respond right away he didn't push. He just kept talking softly, almost to himself.
Cassius had Peeta's rhythm down perfectly.
Under his words, Jennifer's Katniss seemed to remember the time she was starving and Peeta had thrown her that bread.
She finally turned and looked at him, their eyes meeting in that quiet moment.
Behind the monitor, Gary Ross kept nodding hard.
That was when Woody Harrelson pushed open the door.
He grabbed a clear glass from a nearby shelf, picked out a bottle of liquor from the cart, and poured himself a drink with half-lidded eyes, scanning the two tributes.
His performance was so loose it felt completely natural—like he really was the jaded former champion who was sick of all of this but still had a job to do.
Sometimes his lines drifted a few words away from the script, but they landed sharper and fit Haymitch's mood even better.
Cassius got pulled right into the emotion.
The two of them started going back and forth.
Neither stuck strictly to the script this time, yet everything felt exactly like the scene was meant to play out in real life.
"Cut!"
Gary Ross called it with a huge smile.
"Excellent! Woody, Cass—that improv collision was perfect!"
One take. Done.
Acting opposite Woody Harrelson was intense, but the payoff was massive.
Cassius could feel that his own performance had sparked to a higher level under the pressure and pull of the veteran's presence.
From that single scene he pulled another purple orb from Woody:
[Improvised Reaction & Scene Partner Emotion +7]
During the break, Woody walked over with his metal bottle and sat down next to Cassius.
"You picked that up nicely."
"You didn't let my rhythm throw you off—you gave me something back. You study theater?"
"Mostly self-taught, and I've watched a ton of movies," Cassius answered honestly. "Your style is great too. You really pull the other actors in with you."
"Nothing special about it. Just understand the character, then throw yourself inside him completely," Woody said casually, taking a sip of his tea. "Haymitch is a man tortured by his past. He sees the game for exactly what it is, but he can't fully escape it. He hates all of this."
He gestured at the luxurious train car. "Including all this flashy bullshit."
"When you play Peeta, remember—he's fundamentally a good kid. But that goodness is his weakness in the arena… and also the thing that ultimately makes people care about him. You have to capture that struggle."
A few short sentences, straight to the heart of it.
Cassius took mental notes. "Thank you. I'll think about that carefully."
"No problem!"
Woody stood up and patted Cassius on the shoulder before heading toward his trailer. As he walked he called out to his assistant, "Hey, did my vegetarian lunch get here yet? I'm starving. All this meat is killing my appetite."
Jennifer slid over, eyes bright. "Wow, what he just told you… he broke Haymitch down in like thirty seconds."
"That's what real acting talent looks like," Cassius said with genuine respect.
He glanced over at Woody, who was now happily munching on what looked like a very healthy veggie wrap.
Every few bites he'd chat with the crew around him and let out a big, genuine laugh—completely different from the bitter, jaded Haymitch he'd been on camera.
"After we wrap, want to ask him for some advice on Katniss?" Jennifer asked, clearly eager.
"You should go for it," Cassius said.
He was thinking the exact same thing—not just for the advice, but because he wanted to farm a few more high-quality orbs.