Rachel Zegler Remembers Seeing 'Hunger Games' in Theaters at Age 10: 'Ingrained in My Memory Forever' (Exclusive) (original) (raw)

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is almost here!

On Thursday, PEOPLE spoke exclusively to Rachel Zegler at the London premiere of the latest installment of The Hunger Games franchise.

While on the red carpet, the leading lady, 22, who stars as District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird, recalled her very first time venturing to the Capitol of Panem just over 10 years ago.

Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird.

Murray Close/Courtesy of Lionsgate

“I went with my sister and my mom to the theater to see it,” Zegler said of her movie-going experience. Although she was prepared, she couldn’t say the same for another audience member.

“The woman next to my sister had never read the books or seen the film before, and when the mutts came out, she started screaming, ‘What’s gonna happen next?’” she shared.

Most Hunger Game fans would know that mutts, also known as muttations, are ferocious creatures created by The Capitol to add a bit of excitement for those watching the tributes as they try to survive the games.

“And it is ingrained in my memory forever,” Zegler said while adding a wish of her own. “I hope people in our theaters do it as well.”

Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Rachel Zegler and Josh Andres Rivera.

Getty Images

On Sunday, she attended the film’s Berlin premiere at Zoo Palast and stunned while seemingly paying homage to Jennifer Lawrence’s character Katniss Everdeen.

Reminiscent of Everdeen’s gown that bursts into flames in the books and films, giving her the nickname “The Girl on Fire,” Zegler walked the carpet in a strapless black Alexander McQueen floor-length dress with what appeared to be fiery red flames designed into the bottom.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Jeff Spicer/Getty

In an August interview with Empire magazine, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes director Francis Lawrence opened up about the stark contrast between Zegler and Lawrence’s characters.

"Katniss was an introvert and a survivor. She was quite quiet and stoic, you could almost say [she was] asexual. Lucy Gray is the opposite," Lawrence explained. "She wears her sexuality on her sleeve, [and] she really is a performer."

Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen.

Lionsgate/Kobal/Shutterstock

He added of Lucy Gray, "She loves crowds. She knows how to play crowds and manipulate people."

The upcoming film is a prequel to the 2012 blockbuster, and takes place “64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem,” reads Lionsgate's synopsis of the film.

English actor Tom Blyth, best known for his role on Billy the Kid, portrays an 18-year-old Snow. Zegler’s boyfriend and West Side Story actor, Josh Andrés Rivera, stars as Sejanus Plinth.

Others appearing in the film include Euphoria’s Hunter Schafer making her film debut as Tigris Snow, and Oscar winner Viola Davis as Dr. Volumnia Gaul, the eccentric, quirky and ruthless Gamemaker.

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