Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera on Combining Work with Romance: ‘Feel Really Lucky’ (Exclusive) (original) (raw)

The couple spoke exclusively to PEOPLE about working together on 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' at the Hollywood premiere on Monday

Published on November 14, 2023 08:23AM EST

Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera . Photo:

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock (2)

Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera have a great professional and romantic relationship.

The costars — and real-life couple — opened up about working together at the Hollywood premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in which they both star on Monday.

“Having a familiar face on any set, I think any young actor can attest, is the biggest form of comfort,” leading lady Zegler, 22, exclusively tells PEOPLE on the red carpet.

“And also as [Rivera’s] girlfriend, his friend, and his coworker, it's amazing to see the trajectory of his career, and to witness his rise to stardom. I love him so much,” the actress fondly adds.

Zegler and Rivera said it was a "comfort" working with each other on 'The Hunger Games'.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Rivera, 28, agrees that being around his girlfriend on set was a “comfort” for him.

“I feel really lucky,” the actor shares with PEOPLE. “It was a really great source of comfort for me to have her with me so far away from home. We were in a different country. We got to explore that country together. It was absolutely lovely. I feel very fortunate.”

The actor, 28, adds that he and Zegler supported each other over the course of filming, particularly during the more difficult and emotionally draining scenes their characters were involved in.

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Rachel Zegler at "The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes" L.A. premiere.

Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

“We have debriefs at the end of the day and we talk about it,” Rivera tells PEOPLE. “It's acting and she's very good at it and she's very professional and she's a wonderful coworker. I think we were able to communicate when one of us was down. It was nice. We were good support for one another.”

The pair's sweet comments come after they celebrated their 2 year anniversary last month. They met on the set of Steven Spielberg’s 2021 film remake of West Side Story.

Zegler marked the milestone by posting a carousel of photos of her with Rivera on Instagram, along with a tribute to her beau. “2 years!” the actress wrote in the caption. “Happy anniversary, whammo. i love you more and more each day.”

“You are the most grounded part of me,” she added.

The actress continued to gush over Rivera on Monday in an Instagram post as he shared photos from his attendance at the London premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.

“I love youuuuuuuuuuuu handsome man,” she added to the comments section. She also called Rivera “hot” and posted several heart-face emojis.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes lands in theaters on Nov. 17.