Excerpt From StandingCentral:
SIC: What’s your name and what do you do?
CC: Hello! My name is Christina Coffman, and I am a sophomore in college studying acting. I lived in Maryland most of my life doing community theater, but after graduating high school my family moved to South Carolina, which is where I currently reside.
SIC: You stood in for Jennifer Lawrence, who plays “Katniss” in the highly anticipated film The Hunger Games. Was this your first time standing in on a film? Have you stood in on any films since?
CC: Yes, this was my first time standing in on a film. Immediately after wrapping The Hunger Games I was asked to photo-double for Isabelle Fuhrman in the filmThe Healer but since I already had a prior obligation, I was only able to commit to working on that a short time. I hope to get back into standing in again soon, though!
SIC: How did you land your job as Jennifer Lawrence’s stand-in?
CC: I had an audition callback in Asheville, North Carolina, that lasted about five hours. Jennifer, Josh Hutcherson, and Liam Hemsworth were there, but most of the time was spent with the casting director, ADs, and the other girls they were considering. At the end we had individual interviews and I was the first one to interview. Then they sent me home. Early the next morning I got a call saying I had the job!
SIC: Cool, Christina! Were you also hired to photo-double?
CC: Yes! On the days that I photo-doubled, they had to spray my braid to make it darker since my hair is naturally a bit lighter than Jennifer’s. Additionally, she is a few inches taller than me so I had to constantly remind myself to stand tall. I was even able to photo-double as “District 4 Tribute Girl” one day.
SIC: Working on The Hunger Games was a demanding project. You were working in the woods of Asheville and at high elevations, too. You also shot in a cigarette factory. What kinds of demands did you face?
CC: We worked sunrise to sunset six days a week in some of the most isolated and beautiful forests of North Carolina. Base camp was often a good 10-20-minute drive back down the mountain so we had Porta-Johns closer to set but sometimes there just isn’t a chance to break away so you either wait or go behind a tree!
The Cornucopia and Reaping scenes were filmed on very hot days under the beating sun. We also had several major downpours–it amazes me how there was always a Plan B for these frequent storms. Sometimes they would put a tarp over the set, add some lights, and continue filming! Watching these scenes you wouldn’t be able to tell it was still raining a few feet away.
