This is the new generation of “Panem”! Tom Blyth & Rachel Zegler Talk “The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes” In FILMSTARTS Interview

A good eight years later “The Hunger Games – Mockingjay Part 2” has been released in our cinemas, we’ll get the prequel from November 16, 2023 The Hunger Games – The ballad of songbirds and snakescan be seen in cinemas. It tells the backstory of fascist President Snow, who was played by Donald Sutherland in the original films, as well as the backstory of the Hunger Games, which was still in its infancy with the tenth edition.

Shutters in the prequel Tom Blyth in the role of 18-year-old student Coriolanus Snowwho is chosen during the Hunger Games to serve as a mentor for the tributes to the impoverished District 12 and to get the people of the Capitol interested in the Hunger Games and their tributes again. But in his tribute he did not leave out the clever Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), with whom he slowly develops an emotional bond. So Coriolanus must finally decide which side he is on…

We met the two leading actors Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler after the big gala premiere of The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes” in Berlin and spoke to them about their experiences as newcomers to a popular franchise and filming in Berlin. They also tell us whether we will see them in their roles again after the film…

Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler were warmly welcomed in Panem

Tom Blyth: We love it here. I was in Berlin for the first time when I was 18 – during an Interrail trip through Europe. I just packed up and been here for a month, sleeping on trains, in hostels, and on train station floors. Berlin was my dream city. So I came back ten years later to make the movie and just thought, wow, I can be here as an actor this time and that’s pretty cool! It’s such a great city, with a culture that respects the arts and it’s a very beautiful environment.

Rachel Zegler: It was great to have an excuse to be in such a historic place and go to the museum all the time. I’m a museum girl, so I had a really nice time here.

The Hunger Games – The ballad of songbirds and snakes

By
Francis Laurens

Of
Tom Blyth,
Rachel Zegler,
Peter Dinklage

Starting date

November 16, 2023

Performances (563)

Rachel Zegler: We were obviously quite busy, but on the days when the Academy scenes were filmed I was able to go to the museum and do a few things.

Tom Blyth: And we became very close with the crew. There was a great camaraderie between us and we went out a lot, ate together and went dancing together. It was amazing.

Rachel Zegler: You feel like you’re really in the best hands because the other films are so loved. And working with people who have done such a great job adapting the whole thing from book to film gives you security and confidence as well as the ability to sleep easy knowing that the result will be worth it.

Tom Blyth: I initially had respect for joining such a big, popular franchise and whether we could live up to the expectations of the old films. But I soon realized that we were doing our own thing. And it’s not a reboot, it’s not a sequel. Suzanne Collins has written a book that tells a very different aspect of history in a different time. The Capitol and Panem are very different and she asks different questions and so we quickly realized that we could do our own thing with it. Even the style is different. It is not a copy of the old films, but stands on its own two feet and at the same time honors the world of the franchise.

Want to follow in the footsteps of Jennifer Lawrence and Donald Sutherland?

Rachel Zegler: I think comparisons between actors are inevitable, but that only makes you unhappy. The more you can free yourself from it and the more you know that you have the trust of the director, the producers and everyone else, and that you can also trust your scene partners, nothing can hurt you. And that’s how it really was. This is the perfect mix for a good time.

Tom Blyth: And Francis [Lawrence] is truly such a great director that he doesn’t let you sink into your own insecurities or comparisons with others. He gave us both permission to make the characters our own and not try to follow in anyone’s footsteps. And there was a lot of creative freedom because the whole thing took place 64 years ago [den anderen Filmen]. So you can really make something fresh from it.

Tom Blyth: What I like about Suzanne Collins’ work is that she dares to write a book about a hated character, but she also knows that we love to hate him because we also try to understand him, but we don’t create it. And that’s what art is about, right? It’s about holding up a mirror to society. And also to ask the question: what is human nature?

I think there’s no better way than to look at someone you actually have no empathy for, but try to understand why he is the way he is. And I think that’s what the movie is really about. Someone who starts out as just someone’s son and cousin and then becomes someone else entirely. Of course it’s a challenge, but I had to forget that he’s going to be a dictator later and try to see him as a person. When you accept a role, you cannot judge the character. You have to learn to fall in love with her in order to play her.

Rachel Zegler: I think it is part of the essence of a person to be changed by the people and circumstances around you. That’s why the story is so interesting, because it’s about whether it’s human nature or circumstances that make us who we are. And whether goodness is really born in us. And playing all that with Tom was fun, even if it got quite tiring at times and there was a lot of tension between us in the film.

He was honestly one of the best scene partners I’ve ever had and we had great conversations between rehearsals, including with Francis and Mike, our writer. No one knows your role as well as you do, you live in their body every day and it was fun sharing that with Tom and building trust, especially during the reshoots.

Tom Blyth: We only had a few new recordings and only a few months to create very special moments that would define the relationship and later lead to the breakup of the relationship. We became good friends and it was always fun, even in the difficult scenes. That’s where the magic happens. On set, when you’re shooting tough and difficult scenes, but it still feels easy.

At this point we asked them both for their interpretation of the ending of “The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes”. – we don’t want to tell you that before the cinema opens. You can read what they said about it in the coming days here on FILMSTARTS – the interview continues here without spoilers:

Will we see Rachel Zegler and Tom Blyth again as Lucy Gray and Snow?

Rachel Zegler: Absolutely, under all the conditions you mentioned: Suzanne and Francis must be involved.

Tom Blyth: There are a few caveats, but yes, I think there are many facets of the character that I would like to explore further. But that all really depends on Suzanne.

Rachel Zegler: Yes, I loved the books and movies. I went to all the midnight screenings and the book release parties. I had the brooch and everything.

Tom Blyth: I was a big fan of the films and saw them all in theaters right when they came out with my mom and sister. But I haven’t read the books before. Of course our book, and I devoured it in a few days and now I am also going to read the first books. But I decided not to read the first books while we were filming because I didn’t want to put myself in the awkward position of worrying about possible presidents.

Rachel Zegler: It’s a huge honor to be asked not only to be a part of a franchise you love so much and a book you love so much, but also of Francis Lawrence, who I admire so much as a filmmaker and as a person. admired him before I worked with him.

So when this opportunity came up, I was honored that he wanted to meet me and talk to me. And since then I’ve grown to love him more and more. And I think I can [Tom und mich] when I say we both just admire him. He’s a great man.

At the Berlin premiere we also had the opportunity to speak with director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, who were able to give us exciting insights into how The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes” with the original Hunger Games” quartet. The interview with the two will appear here on FILMSTARTS in a few days – so keep your eyes peeled!