Dayo Okeniyi & Amandla Stenberg talk "Hunger Games" at Collectormania

This past weekend, Dayo Okeniyi and Amandla Stenberg were at Collectormania in the UK. Red Carpet TV News got to talk to them while they were there about fan support, the success of the film, getting their role, Gary Ross, and more.

Dayo Okeniyi Talks New Show "Prairie Dogs"

Dayo Okeniyi will star in the new ABC comedy "Prairie Dogs" and we have more information about the show.

His character on the show is total opposite of his Hunger Games character Thresh. Thresh is tough, strong and basically “the reason Katniss makes it to Catching Fire ” as Dayo’s Twitter says. His character on the new gig…isn’t like that at all.
“Fans of the Hunger Games are going to see a different side of Dayo,” he said. “You’ll get to see the goof ball Dayo.”

You check out his video interview at Cambio.

Zooey Magazine with Dayo Okeniyi

Zooey Magazine chatted with Dayo Okeniyi about pretty much everything!

The best part of my job, is just getting a chance to work with people that you admire so much. It’s a really fortunate job. I love my job. Film is such an old media, that there are people who have been doing this for such a long time and are still doing it. And people that grew up admiring the characters that were played on screen and to actually get a chance to meet them and work with them. Working with people like Woody Harrelson and Donald Sutherland, people who are so awesome at what they do, it’s incredible.
Getting a chance to do something that really touches people. Sometimes you think of film as such a trivial thing. But there are movies that change people’s lives. People leave movie theaters and have completely changed the way they live. If somebody comes to me and says, ‘your movie made me think of something differently’ or ‘I watch your movie whenever I have a bad day,’ I would love that.
One thing on my bucket list is to win an Academy Award. It’s always work related, because I love acting so much. Work with Will Smith. Work with J.J. Abrams. Work with Steven Spielberg. I could go on and on.
My biggest guilty pleasure is Food Network. I watch everything on Food Network. It’s pretty embarrassing, but I love it (and my roommates hate it)! I watch Chopped. I watch Iron Chef and Man vs. Food. I watch everything. It’s kind of bad, but I am proud of it.
The most played song (at the moment) on my iPhone is probably Drake’s “We’ll Be Fine.” I cannot live without my Iphone.

Rections from Alexander, Dayo, and Jackie on Gary Ross

Dayo Okeniyi (Thresh), Alexander Ludwig (Cato), and Jackie Emerson (Foxface) shared their reactions to Gary Ross leaving Catching Fire.

“One thing about Gary is, he can do everyone’s job better than you can,” Alexander Ludwig, who played Katniss’ archenemy Cato, told us at Nylon magazine’s 13th anniversary party at Smashbox Studios in L.A. “It’s an honor working with such a talented director. He is an unbelievable guy and an actor’s director, which is amazing…Nobody could really do what Gary did. I honestly believe that 100 percent.”
We actually broke the news to Jacqueline Emerson, aka Fox Face. “That makes me so sad,” she said. “I’m sorry, I can’t move on yet. I’m still in mourning. I don’t know that anyone else could bring it to life the way that he did.”
Dayo Okeniyi(Thresh) said, “I’m heartbroken. He was the perfect person for me for the first movie, because he has this great ability to do the indie thing with the blockbuster thing and I think everybody wants that combination.” Okeniyi added that he hopes “somehow in the cosmos it works out [that Ross] can do the second movie.”

It sounds like the news really surprised everyone!

Source: E!

Dayo Okeniyi on Gary Ross' Departure

Dayo Okeniyi is just as shocked about Gary's decision to leave the movie. Dayo talked about his reaction and who he thinks should direct Catching Fire.

Dayo, … told us that it will be nearly impossible to replace Ross as a director: “Honestly, I really think he’s the only person who can come back and do the second film. So I’m hoping it’s one of those things where he’s like, ‘I’m not doing it,’ then is like, ‘No! I am doing it!’ Because it would be incredibly terrible for all of this to not work out. But this is the business, and it happens. Hopefully, they can get someone else who is as creative. There are very few Gary Ross’.”
With that in mind, who else could Dayo see directing CF?
“Honestly, it really is only Gary. But if I had to, maybe like a David Fincher (Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, The Social Network). He would be ridiculous. His vision is completely different, so he would do a crazy job. Or maybe Darren Aronofsky (Black Swan).”

What do you think of Dayo's choices for director? I would like to see David Fincher do the movie!

Source: Celebuzz

Dayo Okeniyi with Ok! Nigeria

Ok! Nigeria interviewed Dayo Okeniyi about his experience with the Hunger Games.

"You must be excited about starring in The Hunger Games. How did that gig come about?I had just been introduced to my current managers and they decided to put me on a trial period. They were going to send me on some auditions to see how I performed in the room with casting directors and to see what I had to work on, maybe take some classes or what not. During that trial period the first audition they sent me on was The Hunger Games. I went in and auditioned at Debra Zane’s office where they put me on tape and sent it to the director Gary Ross. Instead of having me come back for a second audition or a screen test. Gary Ross cast me off of that first tape and the rest as they would say is history.
Were you a fan of The Hunger Games trilogy of books?I wasn’t aware of the books until I had the opportunity to audition. I knew a movie was being made based off of the book by Susanna Collins but I wasn’t aware of how loved the novel was. I did some research online and it was immediately made clear to me the huge following the trilogy had. So a couple of days before my audition I got my hands on a copy of The Hunger Games and half way through I was absolutely hooked.
There are obvious comparisons to Twilight. What are your thoughts on this?The obvious comparisons to Twilight never cross the threshold of plot, story or tone. These are two completely different stories, trilogies and movies. I do understand where they come from. Both movies are adaptations from novels beloved by mostly teenage girls and both share a female protagonist in somewhat of a love triangle but the comparisons stop there. The Hunger Games is a human tale that follows a girl (Katniss) and the lengths that she would go to protect the ones she loves in a world that doesn’t care about her. No vampires, no werewolves.
Tell us a bit about the character you play, Thresh.He is the male tribute selected from District 11 to partake in The Hunger Games. Described in the book as a physical wonder, he is one of the tributes favored to win the games. Even though he has all this going for him, he by no means wants to be a part of the games. He is not out for blood, glory or fame. He is a gentle giant who aids Katniss on her journey.
What was it like working with Lenny Kravitz?Amazing, I was surprised to find how incredibly humble of a man he is. It was also cool to learn from him about his time in Nigeria as a stage boy years ago. When he lived in Yaba and ate suya! Really cool guy.
What was the best thing about starring in The Hunger Games?Getting the chance to work with amazing actors. Even on the days when I wasn’t filming I would go to set to watch the older actors do their thing. There was always a vast wealth of knowledge being tossed around. I learned so much watching Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci, Elizabeth Banks and Donald Sutherland. As a young actor watching those actors work was priceless."

Read the rest here.

Dayo Okeniyi Interviewed at KCA

Dayo Okeniyi was interviewed at the Kid's Choice Awards about what was going through his mind at the premiere and more.

E! Online Red Carpet Interviews

E! Online got to interview 27 members of the cast and we have all the videos here! Enjoy!

More after the jump!

Send Thresh some Fan Mail

Dayo Okeniyi has a new mailing address for fan mail:

Dayo Okeniyi/Sweeney Entertainment
6253 Hollywood Blvd
Suite 201
Los Angeles, CA 90028
Source: Facebook

Interview with Dayo Okeniyi

 Dayo talked to The Hot Hits while he was at the premiere of the Vow. Dayo, who plays Thresh from District 11, said, "It feels awesome and amazing. I feel privileged to be a part of this. I'm a fan of this movie; I'm a fan of the books, just like anybody else. I cannot wait for this thing to come out."

He also said that, "I've been having sleepless nights because I hope it does well. I hope we've created something that the fans are excited about and they get the same feeling that they had when they read the books you know. It's such a beloved book, and I don't want to be part of the crew that messed it up!"

I'm so excited and I doubt they will mess it up! Seriously, he is Thresh!