During the hard filming of their movie, Hunter Schafer and Rachel Zegler know how to de-stress and have some fun.
The cast of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which is now playing in cinemas, said in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE that the nightclub scene in Berlin, Germany, where the Hunger Games prequel was being filmed allowed them to have fun while they were on set.
Schafer, who is 24 years old, adds with a grin, “Berlin is known as the capital of techno, and because of this, we had some really good resources in terms of getting to dance.” “Something with a high BPM—’boom, boom, boom’—you can exorcize whatever it is that you need to after an intense day of filming,”
According to Zegler, 22, the director of the film, Francis Lawrence, made striking a balance between time spent working and time off a goal for everyone involved in the production.
She divulges that “Francis has such an intention of not letting work go on for too long so that everybody has the opportunity to kind of decompress,” and she explains why this is important. “He is the kind of man who loves to wind down at the end of the day by having a relaxing lunch and saying his goodnights. And as a result, there was a large quantity of that, a large quantity of restaurants, and a large quantity of nightlife on the weekends.
According to the star of West Side Story, the group was able to get closer by taking in the sights and sounds of places all throughout Germany and Poland. Because of it, I get the impression that we have all become really familiar with one another.
The story of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was adapted from the best-selling book written by Suzanne Collins, revolves on a younger version of Coriolanus Snow (played by Tom Blyth, who took over the role from Donald Sutherland in the first film trilogy) who is tasked with guiding a tribute through the tenth iteration of the Hunger Games.
This tribute is played by Zegler, who portrays the soprano Lucy Gray Baird, who, like Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen before her, is a native of District 12. Tigris, the stylish cousin of Coriolanus, is portrayed by Schafer. In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Tigris was portrayed by Eugenie Bondurant.
Both of these actors broke into the Hollywood limelight when they were young adults, and as a result, they understand the significance of maintaining a healthy work-life balance while still making time for themselves. Zegler, whose forthcoming projects include guiding 2024’s animated “Spellbound” and 2025’s “Snow White” live-action remake, adds that “the acknowledgement that things are different and that that’s not a bad thing” is what has grounded her.
Equally as vital, according to Zegler, is “Surrounding yourself with good people.” “When everything seems impossible, the people who are actually going to bring you back down to earth are your friends and your family,”
The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is Schafer’s first foray into the world of feature films, and it comes on the heels of her blockbuster performance as Jules on the HBO series Euphoria. “This feels different than any sort of fan experience I’ve had in the past because with a TV show, the fans sort of accumulate over time,” she adds. “This feels different than any sort of fan convention I’ve attended in the past.”
“we’re walking into something,” she says, referring to the Hunger Games film franchise and its associated cinematic world.
“There are actual communities that have formed around people’s interest in this stuff,” the author says.
Regarding the process of managing the spotlight in general, Schafer refers to it as “a journey that I’m still working on.” In relation to all of this, I am unquestionably in a better position now than I was when I first started. The manner in which this material alters your life really took me by surprise.It will, however, take some time to acclimate. But now I realize that this is the normal procedure. This is how I spend my days. This is a pretty great thing.”
On November 17, audiences will be able to see The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in cinemas. Peter Dinklage, Viola Davis, Jason Schwartzman, and Josh André Rivera are among the actors who appear in it.