11 July 2026
Maya Hawke has said joining The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast has brought her acting journey full circle.
Maya Hawke has said joining The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping cast has brought her acting journey full circle
The 28-year-old actress appears as a younger version of the character Wiress in the sixth film in the blockbuster sci-fi franchise based on Suzanne Collins’ novels, and she has revealed Jennifer Lawrence’s performance as Katniss Everdeen in the movie series first inspired her to pursue a career on screens.
Speaking to People, Maya reflected on the influence the original films had on her ambitions as an actress, saying: “I credit the original Hunger Games movie a lot with inspiring me to want to be an actor, honestly.”
Maya continued: “It’s so hard to give a good performance in a big action movie, because so many pieces in the machine are usually working against the capacity to give a good performance.”
Praising Jennifer’s portrayal of Katniss Everdeen in the first Hunger Games films, she added: “In those movies, she gave a performance so singularly excellent and weird, and she painted a true individual that was not at all neutralised by the genre.”
The latest Hunger Games prequel follows the success of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes and arrives as anticipation continues to build ahead of its theatrical release on 20 November.
Maya, who recently voiced the Audible Original The Summer Oath, also remains widely recognised for her role as Robin Buckley in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things, whose fifth and final season is one of the most anticipated television releases.
The original Hunger Games trilogy – The Hunger Games, Catching Fire and Mockingjay – was adapted into four films after Mockingjay was split into two parts.
Set in the dystopian nation of Panem, the story follows children selected from 12 districts to compete in a televised fight to the death under the rule of an authoritarian government.
Alongside Jennifer, the franchise featured Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Julianne Moore, Stanley Tucci, Sam Claflin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Jeffrey Wright and Lenny Kravitz.
Following the success of the original books and films, Suzanne Collins expanded the series with The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, which was adapted into a film starring Rachel Zegler, alongside Tom Blyth and Hunter Schafer.
Suzanne later wrote Sunrise on the Reaping, which is set after The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes but before the events of the original trilogy.
In the forthcoming adaptation, Maya – the daughter of actors Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke –
stars opposite Joseph Zada, Ralph Fiennes, Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Kieran Culkin and Lili Taylor, with Amanda Plummer having originated the role of Wiress in Catching Fire.
Discussing her own role, Maya said: “My part is very small, but I’m excited. I love my character. I am so excited to get to see the movie and to be a fan.”
She also praised director Francis Lawrence, adding: “I was also just so honored to work with Francis and to participate in any way in anti-fascist populist art.”
Despite joining an established ensemble, Maya admitted she had concerns about fitting into the tone of the film.
She said: “There are so many incredible actors in it, and, in a totally egoless way, I hope I didn’t ruin it.”
Laughing, she added: “You know when you watch a movie, and there’s a ton of people in it, and sometimes someone comes in, and you’re like, ‘Nope, they didn’t understand the tone’.
“I hope I’m not the outcast who didn’t get it.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.femalefirst.co.uk ’
