If there's one thing we know about The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, it's that the cast is one for the ages. The prequel is full of great picks that level up the book-to-screen adaptation, but there’s been one choice I’ve been curious about. Why didn’t they choose Philip Seymour Hoffman’s son Cooper Hoffman to play the role of Plutarch Heavensbee? Someone finally asked director Francis Lawrence.
Philip Seymour Hoffman is so memorable in The Hunger Games movies that Lawrence directed. And notably, the director also worked with Cooper Hoffman on The Long Walk just before making Sunrise on the Reaping. Knowing that Plutarch plays a vital role in the upcoming prequel, I couldn't help but wonder if Philip's son was ever considered for the amazing part. Here’s what the filmmaker had to say about the casting decision to The Hollywood Reporter:
I will say that meeting Cooper the first time [for my film] was very powerful. To see, and feel, the similarities they both have, it made me emotional. I love to work with people over and over, and Cooper is high on that list, but we needed someone who felt considerably older than Cooper is.
Since Francis Lawrence directed all the Hunger Games sequels, he’s now had the chance to work with both Hoffmans. I think it would’ve made sense for Cooper Hoffman to get cast as a younger Plutarch in the movie. The prequel is set 24 years before the original movies. Philip Seymour Hoffman was 45 and 46 while filming them, and his son is now 23. However, Lawrence was looking for an older actor for Sunrise on the Reaping.
He ended up going with Jesse Plemons, which is a remarkable choice. Plemons definitely looks like Philip Seymour Hoffman, and he even played his son in The Master.
Cooper is also only a few years older than the actors playing the teenage Haymitch and Maysilee in Sunrise on the Reaping. So, I get why Lawrence wanted to cast someone a bit older as Plutarch.
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Cooper Hoffman might not have been chosen as a younger Plutarch, but it’s pretty special that he was in The Long Walk – which is sort of Stephen King’s own even more twisted Hunger Games idea.
Even though Cooper and Francis Lawrence had a shared connection in Philip Seymour Hoffman, they actually didn’t meet until The Long Walk. Cooper said hearing anecdotes about Lawrence’s memories working with his dad on The Hunger Games movies made for a sweet addition to the shoot.
Sadly, Cooper Hoffman was 10 years old when his father died. The 23-year-old has spoken before about how his late dad is his “favorite actor” without having the ability to have him around and get his advice.
You can see Cooper Hoffman in I Want Your Sex, now in theaters. And The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping hits theaters on November 20.
