Hunger Games' New Haymitch Actor Told Me How He Learned About His Sunrise On The Reaping Co-Stars, And I Guess We Have Something In Common

There are a lot of upcoming book adaptations I’ve been hyped for, but no one’s doing casting announcements like the new Hunger Games movie, Sunrise on the Reaping. For the past two months, Lionsgate has been slowly dropping reveals about who’s playing who in the Sunrise on the Reaping cast through a series of social media posts, and they’ve been so good. But, how is the new Haymitch actor, Joseph Zada, finding out about his co-stars?

Joseph Zada Talks About How He's Learning About The Sunrise On The Reaping Casting

… It turns out, the same way we are. Here’s what the Australian actor told me about his perspective on the casting news when I spoke with him and the cast of the We Were Liars TV show:

Can you imagine finding out that some of your co-workers are about to be Ralph Fiennes (who is playing President Snow), Kieran Culkin (who will embody Caesar Flickerman) and Jesse Plemons (set to play Plutarch Heavensbee) through Instagram? I was surprised to learn that Joseph Zada is on the edge of his seat watching the casting announcements be unveiled just like us. And when I asked him if he’s met any of his co-stars yet, here’s how he responded:

When answering my question, Joseph Zada was being a total pro exuding confidence about the massive project in front of him. However, in the interview clip (which you can watch above), you can tell he truly is “with us” between seeing all those impressive names on his phone and trying to mentally prepare to meet the whole cast as the movie’s leading actor once filming kicks off, reportedly next month.

Before Heading To Panem, You Can Check Out Joseph Zada First In The We Were Liars Book Adaptation

I had the chance to connect briefly with the 20-year-old on his upcoming role as Haymitch thanks to his new role in We Were Liars. The upcoming series, coming for those with an Amazon Prime subscription next week on the 2025 TV schedule, is also a book adaptation of another popular YA book that has sold millions of copies since it was published in 2014.

However, in the case of We Were Liars, Zada is playing a very different role than Haymitch. Rather than coming from a humble upbringing in District 12 like Haymitch, his character of Johnny is part of the well-off Sinclair family, who have their own private island near Martha’s Vineyard.

During the series, Johnny has to wrestle with his privilege as he deals with the fallout of something he did. At the same time, the core story is about his cousin Cadence, who tries to understand what happened after she suffers a serious head injury in a mysterious incident. (I can’t say much otherwise, but Zada is amazing in it!)

You can check out Joseph Zada in We Were Liars on Wednesday, June 18. Then, you can see him and all the co-stars he's learned about through Instagram in Sunrise on the Reaping when it hits theaters on November 20, 2026.