Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes stars share what they took from the set

Stars of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes have revealed what props they took from the movie’s set.

The new prequel movie follows events over six decades before The Hunger Games series, and is due to hit cinemas later this week.

Ahead of its release, stars Tom Blyth and Josh Andrés Rivera – who play the roles of the young Coriolanus Snow and his friend Sejanus Plinth, respectively – spoke exclusively to Digital Spy about some of the items they got to take home once filming wrapped.

Related: How to watch The Hunger Games movies in order ahead of the prequel release

“I do have a… I mean, there’s usually little things that I can get away with,” Rivera said. “It’s just tiny stuff that I knew that people wouldn’t miss. The academy book – I still have that. I have random pens.”

“Sejanus’s little, angry notes,” Blyth said, his colleague adding that he thinks he has his “dog tags in (his) backpack”.

As for his own keepsakes, Blyth revealed: “I remember, Till (Sennhenn), our props master, actually, on the last day, came and gave me a little package, and it had my academy book and dog tags and academy pen.

Related: The Hunger Games filmmakers tease Rachel Zegler’s “jaw-dropping” performance

“We didn’t actually have to steal those, because they very generously gave it to us.”

During the chat, Blyth and Rivera also reflected on the movie’s sets and the joy of filming on location, the Snow actor noting: “They’re honoring the books by going, ‘This has to be as tangible as possible.’

“So we filmed on location in Berlin and in Poland in West Germany, and used all that kind of turn-of-the-century, 19th century, neo-brutalist architecture, which I think gives it a feeling of like… an oppressive feeling to the Capitol – which it should have, because the Capitol is this place that is using propaganda to keep the citizens working and churning out production.

Related: Why Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is missing one element from the book

“I think it’s beautiful to be able to turn up on set, and have everything feel tangible, and not just be in a studio with a green screen,” he added.

“I remember Ian McKellen once said it’s the death of imagination when you get there, and you’re just like, ‘Oh, man, is there nothing real here?’ But, yeah, I feel very lucky.”

Rivera added that he felt the practical sets were “spectacular fuel”.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will be released in cinemas on November 17, 2023. The previous The Hunger Games movies are available to stream on Prime Video UK.

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