‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ Virtual Press Conference

‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ will be in theaters on November 17th.

‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ is a prequel to the ‘The Hunger Games’ trilogy and tells the tale of a young Coriolanus Snow before he became president of Panem and dives into the history of the Games.

The movie is directed by Francis Lawrence, who also helmed ‘The Hunger Games’ films ‘Catching Fire’ and ‘Mockingjay’, parts one and two. ‘The Balland of Songbirds and Snakes’ premieres in theaters on November 17, 2023.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of attending the virtual press conference for ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’. Talent in attendance were Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Hunter Schafer, and Josh Andrés Rivera.

Here are 10 things we learned from the ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ virtual press conference:

1. The cast were huge fans of ‘The Hunger Games’ novels and movies prior to being cast 

(L to R) Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird and Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

The cast elaborates on their love for the novels and movies and even dressed up as characters inspired by the franchise.

Rachel Zegler: I did read all of the books, and I saw all the movies as they came out, and it was a really lovely kind of bonding experience for my mom, my older sister and I, because we all read them together and watched them together and it was so wonderful.

Co-star Hunter Schafer talked about loving the costume designs described in the novels so much she created her own.

Hunter Schafer: I read the books in middle school and was deeply obsessed, and then saw the first movie and got obsessed with the costumes, and I made my own literal Capitol person costume for Halloween one year. I was drawing my own graphic novels of the book. It was a real deep obsession for a while, so it feels really full circle to be here now doing this.

2. Tom Blyth on stepping into Donald Sutherland’s shoes in portraying a young Coriolanus Snow

Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Blyth, who has been a fan of the books and movies since its first release, elaborates on seeing Sutherland’s performance as President Snow and finding out his history in the prequel novel.

Tom Blyth: Watching what Donald Sutherland did with (Coriolanus Snow), that was kind of like, deliciously evil. Then getting to kind of rewind the history tapes and look at why he became like that, and also just question his morality and get to go through that up and down that he goes through in the book. Yeah, I mean it was an absolute dream for me as an actor.

The actor talks further about whether Sutherland’s performance had an impact on how he formed a younger version of the character:

Tom Blyth: Very early on, I kind of put that to the side and Francis and I talked about making it my own, and also just kind of asking what drives him now as opposed to what drives him later on when he is president and a dictator and a tyrant.

Blyth continues:

Tom Blyth: I think what the fans are drawn to as a character is seeing that he’s not just one thing, he ends up as a tyrant, but 64 years before that he was something else entirely. The interesting part is seeing what he goes through to get there. To your point, I think by the end, I wanted him to be more like the President Snow that we know. But at the beginning, he’s something completely different and younger.

3. Rachel Zegler finds similarities in Lucy Gray Baird and Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen

(L to R) Stanley Tucci and Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.” AP Photo/Lionsgate, Murray Close.

When asked whether Zegler took any lessons from Jennifer Lawrence’s performance of Katniss and applied them to her own, she says:

Rachel Zegler: I just think as actors watching Jennifer’s performance in the original trilogy is watching a masterclass performance in general. When it came to the approach of Lucy Gray, I kind of felt like I didn’t have to. I came to what Tom was saying, it kind of puts an unnecessary pressure because it’s a different character at a different time of Panem. I feel like Lucy Gray is a war-torn teenager who’s had everything she knows ripped from her, yet she’s still making the best of it.

The actress talks about Lucy Gray’s impact on Snow and how that haunts him later on in life when he encounters Katniss.

Rachel Zegler: I do think that there’s elements of Katniss within her and that makes it all the more fun to go back and watch the original trilogy and see how Coriolanus remains haunted by Lucy Gray even in his late life because there are echoes of her within Katniss Everdeen.

4. Tom Blyth and Josh Andrés Rivera were the first cast members to meet

A scene from ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Rivera plays Sejanus Plinth, who viewed Coriolanus as a close friend. The actors were the first to meet among the cast and formed a bond that carried into their scenes.

Josh André Rivera: We had the real luxury of having that chemistry already be there a bit when we first had to film, because the first scene we shot actually was when Coryo has to rescue Sejanus in the arena, which, if you remember is quite vulnerable and intense, and to have that be your first day is a bit intimidating. It was definitely really nice that we had the luxury to get to know each other beforehand, because I think that manifested a good amount, personally.

Tom Blyth recounts how Rivera accidentally saved him from a potential peanut allergy.

Tom Blyth: One of the earliest scenes in the movie, which is the reaping day scene where all the students and mentors are gathered and then told that it’s the reaping day and that we’re being given mentees, basically. In the scene originally he was supposed to give me some cookies because he realizes that Coryo was hungry and that his family aren’t doing that well, even though they’re keeping up appearances. Josh, every time, went to give me the little packet of cookies and I’d put my hand out to reach them and it would feel really light, and I’d be like, okay, great, I’m supposed to eat them in the scene, and I’d go to open it and there’s no cookies left because Josh has been eating them on set.

5. Who is Tigris Snow?

Hunter Schafer as Tigris Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

In ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’, we get to see a younger Tigris Snow. She’s a cousin of Coriolanus and is his main support when he is selected as a mentor for the 10th Hunger Games. The character of Tigris Snow can also be seen in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2’, portrayed by Eugenie Bondurant.

Hunter Schafer: I distinctly remember her character in the books, and then seeing that character, because she was so striking in the ‘Mockingjay’ movie. But clearly there’s a pretty big jump from this movie to that Tigris, and I am kind of thankful for that because it allowed us to, in the same respect Tom was talking about, create our own take on this Tigris on a visual level and on a character level. It allowed so many of the literal layers of stuff that she has accumulated, by the time we meet her in Mockingjay, to let those fall away for this and kind of just bring a bit of myself into this Tigris, but also having the resource of the book, which is a blessing.

Schafer elaborates that Tigris’ love for fashion is similar to her own.

Hunter Schafer: I think I feel aligned with how she moves throughout the world and uses fashion as an armor, and I also just admire her values towards family and family first, and kind of operating on the fact that she’ll do anything for them.

Related Article: Francis Lawrence and Nina Jacobson Talk ‘The Hunger Games’ Prequel

6. Who is Sejanus Plinth?

(L to R) Josh Andrés Rivera as Sejanus Plinth and Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Played by Josh Andrés Rivera, Sejanus Plinth and his family comes from District 2 and is a student at the Capitol Academy. He forms a close friendship with Coriolanus during the Reaping and the 10th Hunger Games.

Josh Andrés Rivera: Something I really like about him, and that definitely drew me in when we started filming, too, was the amount of friction he has with so many of the characters. Just as far as portraying something goes, that just tends to be the funner kind of thing to do is just having a lot of people disagree with you and try to convince everyone that you’re right. A lot of times, just as an actor, is really fun. His overall belief system and how that contrasted the world that he was in was really yummy.

7. Rachel Zegler sang live for every take during filming

(L to R) Honor Gillies as Barb Azure, Konstantin Taffet as Clerk Carmine and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

In the film, Zegler sings a hauntingly beautiful rendition of “The Hang Tree,” first heard in the 2014 film performed by Jennifer Lawrence. The actress talks about her decision to sing live for every take during filming.

Rachel Zegler: it was kind of my choice to sing live on set. I had done it before on my first film, and I feel really confident in that sphere of performance, in general. That was what I kind of came out of the womb doing on stage, so getting to do that for my peers and on set for my crew and the creative team was something really special that I felt like I could bring to the table. When you’re working on sets like that, or when you’re even watching movies, it kind of takes you out of the world when all of a sudden somebody starts lip-syncing, and it just kind of takes you out of it.

The actress felt it was important to the character of Lucy to sing live:

Rachel Zegler: I felt really blessed that Francis and Nina (Jacobson) trusted me to do that, and getting to bring that into the acoustics of the hob or the stage at the reaping and all of the other places, I don’t want to spoil that Lucy Gray gets to sing, it just adds a completely different tone to the scenes. I felt like it was really important, not only to me, but also to the character that I would be doing a disservice if I didn’t perform live every take. It was a lot, and it was very strenuous, but I trained to do it, and I felt really confident with the outcome, and I hope audiences do too.

8. The cast’s favorite costumes and set pieces from the movie

Viola Davis as Dr Volumnia Gaul in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

The Capitol of Panem has always been filled with dazzling and fascinating fashion. Costume designer Trish Summerville (‘Catching Fire’) returns for the prequel movie.

Rachel Zegler: I was definitely curious to see what Trish Summerville was going to do with the rainbow dress because, really, the only description it gets in the book is that there are pink, blue, and yellow ruffles, and that’s it. I was really wondering how she was going to bring it to life, and it was even better than I could have possibly imagined. I think it really speaks for itself, but then also with the rest of her costumes because the rest of her outfits really don’t get described too much in the book. I think Trish just took the Covey love color line and ran with it and in such a beautiful direction.

The cast also recounts seeing locations from the book brought to life by production designer Uli Hanisch.

Tom Blyth: The Hob as a location, for me, was just next level of direction. It was so well done. Actually, what I love about reading a book and then seeing a film adaptation is that sometimes it totally meets your expectations, and you’re like, oh yeah, that’s cathartic because it’s exactly what you had in your mind. Then sometimes your expectation is challenged, and you see something that you’re like, oh, that’s not what I thought at all, it’s even better, it’s even cooler.

9. What music did the cast listen to when getting into character?

(L to R) Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow and Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Courtesy of Lionsgate Films. Photo Credit: Murray Close.

Music plays a huge part in ‘The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ The cast talks about what song or artists got them into character or in the right headspace for a scene.

Hunter Schafer: I think there was one scene where I had to get emotional, and “Sparks” by Coldplay always like…

Rachel Zegler: That does it?

Hunter Schafer: Yeah.

Blyth has several songs on his playlist depending on the scene:

Tom Blyth: I have a pretty extensive Coryo playlist. Music is a big way in for me. I think “Money Power Glory” by Lana Del Rey is the first song on the playlist, and then it goes to “Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles because that song has always since I was a kid, just made me feel really kind of like kooky, and crazy, it feels unhinged, and so when he undergoes his transformation, that was a big one. Then all the way to Wagner’s “Flight Of The Valkyries” or whatever it’s called when he is feeling epic and royalty. I don’t know, it goes all over the place.

Josh Andrés Rivera: I listened to a lot of Silk Sonic. I don’t know that it got me into character, but I really liked that album.

10. The cast talk about what strategies or weapon they would bring into the Hunger Games if they were to complete

Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird in ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.’ Photo Credit: Murray Close.

Rachel Zegler: I feel like I’d have to go the route of Lucy Gray. We were just talking about this earlier, as you do, and I think I would have to win the affections of Panem and then hide and get a lot of sponsors so that I don’t die of hunger, but hide and wait everyone out.

Hunter Schafer: I’m going to go with camouflage because I have a little experience with paint, so I feel like I can go Peeta on them and be a rock or something.

Tom Blyth: I think I like in the movies, in the original franchise, when Peeta does the face paint. I like to think I could do that, but I definitely couldn’t, so I probably would rely on my climbing skills because I’m pretty good at climbing. So, I’d probably climb trees.

Josh Andrés Rivera: I would probably try to make friends with the strong boys and just see how far I can coast under their shoulders before they backstab me eventually. We will worry about that when we get there.

What is the plot of ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’?

Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler), the female tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony, Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy Gray’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

Who is in the cast of ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’?

‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’ will be in theaters on November 17th, 2023.

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