Mckenna Grace has started the promotional run for The Hunger Games prequel Sunrise on the Reaping by wearing a replica of one of the franchise’s best-known costumes. The 20-year-old actress appeared in Paris on Tuesday 6 October in a copy of the wedding dress Jennifer Lawrence wore as Katniss Everdeen in Catching Fire.
Grace’s version was made by Monique Lhuillier. She wore it to Elegance Is Authority: The Story, Style, and Power of Panem, an exhibition event held at the Musée Rodin. The setting suited the reference. In the original film, Katniss wears the gown on stage, and it then transforms into a black-winged mockingjay dress, a twist engineered by her stylist within the story. The scene became one of the most recognisable costume moments in the series, which made it a natural starting point for a new chapter.
Grace was joined in Paris by her co-star Joseph Zada, who plays a younger Haymitch Abernathy in the new film. Zada chose a suit by ERL and added a Tiffany brooch, a small detail that kept his look formal without competing with the bridal white beside him. The pair posed together at the museum, giving fans an early glimpse of the two actors at the centre of the prequel and of how the franchise plans to present them. Zada’s role puts him at the heart of a story set long before the events of the original books.
Sunrise on the Reaping is based on the novel by Suzanne Collins. Its cast also includes Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close, Maya Hawke, Iris Apatow and Ralph Fiennes, and the film opens in cinemas on 20 November. That leaves several weeks of premieres and photo calls, and Grace has made clear she intends to treat them as a series of fashion moments rather than routine publicity stops.
Speaking to W Magazine, she said she was looking forward to the tour, the outfits and the premieres ahead. “It’s going to be ridiculous and insane and exciting,” she said. If the Paris appearance is a guide, the costume department’s history with the franchise is likely to remain a source of ideas for her stylists. Opening with a tribute to Katniss also signals that the new film is happy to lean on the original series as it introduces a fresh cast to audiences.
