And, well, the social media edits of Coriolanus and the Lose Yourself rapper have been plenty.
It felt freeing, he says.
Coriolanus must mentor District 12 female tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler).
Lionsgate
I’ve heard a lot of people saying, Why should we tell this man’s story?
And I’m like, ‘Okay, first off, he’s not real,’ Blyth quips.
The beauty of fictional characters is you get to look at parts of humanity that are difficult to understand.
Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler in ‘Hunger Games’ prequel ‘Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’.Murray Close/Lionsgate
You’re able to empathize.
I wanted him to choose the righteous path.
Murray Close/Lionsgate
The environment also lent itself to the story’s intensity.
Tom Blyth and Viola Davis in ‘Hunger Games’ prequel ‘Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes’.Murray Close/Lionsgate
There was this tangible feeling of terror in there, Blyth recalls.
Volumnia, particularly, shapes the man he becomes.
Though the cast was initially intimidated by the Oscar winner, Davis immediately put them at ease.
She makes every actor who works with her better, and Peter does the same," Blyth says.
As the prequel readies for release, Blyth concedes there was anxiety surrounding stepping into the franchise.
But, as a fan, there was mostly exhilaration.
But I was excited because I was aware that this was a rich world to step into.
There’s going to be a lot of noise.
Just focus on the work [and] enjoy it.
It burns like hell, he says.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakesarrives in theaters Nov. 17.
You canbuy Entertainment Weekly’sThe Ultimate Guide to The Hunger Gameshere, or on newsstands.
