With Lionsgate’s highly anticipated prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping slated to hit theaters nationwide on November 20, online fandoms are already working overtime. But co-stars Mckenna Grace and Joseph Zada are shutting down romantic internet shipping with infectious humor and complete transparency.
In the film adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ best-selling prequel novel, Zada portrays a young Haymitch Abernathy opposite Grace’s Maysilee Donner as they navigate the brutal arena of the 50th Hunger Games (the Second Quarter Quell). Their magnetic on-screen dynamic sparked rapid social media speculation that romance had spilled over into real life.
Addressing the shipping chatter during an interview with Refinery29 Australia, both actors dissolved into hysterical laughter before clarifying the grounded reality of their off-screen friendship.
“Yeah, it’s pretty weird,” Zada laughed. “We’ve both got partners.”
Grace echoed the sentiment, praising the internet’s playful creativity while setting clear personal boundaries:
“Joe’s like family,” Grace added. “I think that’s like the fun of the internet, is that they can ship whatever characters or people or anything that they want as long it’s not intruding on people’s own lives.”
In real life, both young stars are happily spoken for in committed relationships far away from Panem. Zada is currently dating Polly Talarico, a Sydney-based creative who operates outside the Hollywood spotlight, while Grace is dating fellow actor Mason Thames (The Black Phone).
With their real-life relationships rock solid, the duo is focused on delivering the raw, emotional weight fans expect when their characters take the big screen later this month.
