Gold Standard: â€˜I cheat,’ Jeffrey Wright jokes of joining ‘Hunger Games,’ ‘Boardwalk’

Jeffrey Wright joined The Envelope recently for a live chat from Berlin, where he’s completing filming on “Mockingjay - Part 2,� the final installment of the “Hunger Games� franchise. And it sounds like he’s having a good time. When we received a tweet during the conversation asking Wright if he could name the funniest moment that he has experienced while making the series, he immediately thought of the present.

“Today? Today was a ... I don’t think ... I’m having second thoughts about disclosing the nature of the conversation that we found ourselves delving into today,� he said. “Trust me, it was hilarious but not for public disclosure. Best to keep a little mystery. It’s just the entire thing’s a running gag.�

Given that Wright’s character, electronics expert Beetee, shares most of his scenes with Jennifer Lawrence, our imaginations are working overtime wondering what J-Law has been up to now.

Wright said shooting the two-part “Mockingjay� has been a unique experience. “People have a more personal relationship with this material than anything I’ve been a part of,� he said. “It’s work that speaks so deeply to younger, formative minds and they find a way of latching their ... aspirations to these characters.�

Which he said is why he found joining the franchise “daunting� -- but then he’s no stranger to that sensation, having signed up for “Boardwalk Empire� for its just-completed fourth season. Wright won strong notices playing Harlem underworld figure Valentin Narcisse.

“I cheat,� Wright said with a laugh about joining these established ventures. “Let them test the waters. ‘What’s the temperature? It’s nice? I’ll join.’�

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