Elizabeth Banks Brings Mahogany Back

Elizabeth Banks has revealed that a number of Effie’s lines in Catching Fire were the result of some improv on her end–including the mentioning of a certain wood!

effie hge

In “Catching Fire,” Banks managed a sly wink at the infamous quote while offering a running commentary on the Capitol landmarks she’s walking Katniss and Peeta through: “The library, all mahogany.”

“I brought that back, I threw it in there,” she said of the line, which was unscripted. “I did it, and Francis called cut, and I went over to him, and said, ‘You have to keep that in the movie, because the fans will go bananas.’ “

Lawrence left it in and the fans did indeed go bananas, if exclamation point-filled Tumblr reactions are any evidence. Banks didn’t just put her own spin on hardwood references though. She also revealed that the “curtains” comment about a fellow Capitol citizen’s choice of accessory, as well as the memorably snapped “chins up, smiles on” tossed in the glum Katniss’ direction were her ideas.

“I get to improv a lot with Effie, which is fun,” she said. “There were really very few words scripted so I got to have fun with that sequence.”

She knows what the fans want!

Source: MTV