Liam Hemsworth on J-Law and dressing up

MANILA, Philippines – Less than 3 hours after his flight from Australia landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport, “Hunger Games” star and Bench ambassador Liam Hemsworth entered the Rigodon Ballroom of The Peninsula Manila on Friday, March 15 to the ear-piercing screams of tween girls in the audience.

In town to promote the Filipino clothing line, Liam briefly spoke to a crowd of fans and press people about his style, his hairy co-star, and his most kick-ass movie scene yet.

Interviewed by Raymond Gutierrez, here are 10 things Liam shared with us:

1. Despite his regular red carpet appearances, Liam doesn’t really know how to dress up for a fancy event.

“[Red carpet fashion] is completely out of my depth. I have a guy who helps me out; his name is Paris and he helps me with the more classy things — it’s not really something I know too much about.

“I grew up in wetsuits and jeans and I’m in flip–flops most of the time, so it’s nice to have someone to show me what to do.”

2. Despite rumors about the wonders of Photoshop, for his Bench photo shoot, Liam really posed with a lion.

“It was great. I got to spend half a day with a lion. He was next to me the whole day and the only thing that the trainer said to me was, ‘Don’t hide from him because he gets uncomfortable when you try to hide from him.’

“We were feeding him chunks of beef all day. It was pretty incredible.”

3. He believes jeans are the hardest item of clothing to shop for.

“I feel like jeans are the hardest thing [to buy]. They’re probably the thing I wear the most but it’s tough to find a good pair of jeans.”

4. The most kick-ass scene he’s ever filmed was in “The Expendables 2” where he co-starred with action legends Sylvester Stallone and Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others.

“Working with that group of people… they are some of the biggest action stars ever.

“I got kicked in the chest by Jean-Claude Van Damme which was an honor, I think. Stallone, Jason Statham — it was pretty incredible working with them.”

5. Despite looking good in a suit, his idea of style is wearing jeans and a shirt.

“My style is that of a less-is-more kind of guy. I think style is anything you’re comfortable in and what gives you your own identity.

“Mine is simple and casual. Style is a big part of who you are.”

6. Expect to see him in more unique and challenging roles as he starts to look for “something new.”

“I look for scripts that I think are interesting and hopefully surprise audiences and give them something new to watch.

“I also look for directors who are passionate about what they do and have a new, creative look on film; hopefully bring something new to the table which I haven’t seen before.”

7. He says that it isn’t an act: Jennifer Lawrence, his “Hunger Games” and “Catching Fire” co-star, truly is “amazing.”

“She’s one of the most energetic, fun-loving people I’ve ever met. Working with her on set is just easy because she’s so good and she’s just won all these huge awards so congratulations to her for that. She’s amazing.”

8. Liam gets “whipped” in “Catching Fire” — literally.

“My character [Gale] gets whipped in this one. So I spent a couple of days on my knees getting whipped, which was pretty horrific.”

9. “Catching Fire” is turning out to be even better than “The Hunger Games.”

“There’s a whole lot of great stuff in ‘Catching Fire.’ The characters are developing more; (director) Francis Lawrence had a whole new take on it.”

10. His style advice is simple.

“Wear what makes you feel confident.; less is more and keep it simple.” 

Here are Liam’s photos for Bench with his furry not-so-little friend:

How did Liam and the lion pose together? Watch this video:

– Rappler.com