Tom Blyth hasn’t spoken to Ralph Fiennes about their shared role as Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games.
Blyth, 31, discussed the casting during the October 29 opening night of A Few Good Men on Broadway. His conversation with PEOPLE also touched on the colleagues he remains close to after leaving Panem behind.
Fiennes, 63, plays President Snow in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which opens in theaters on November 20. The film follows a later period in the character’s life than the one Blyth portrayed.
Meanwhile, Blyth is making his Broadway debut as military lawyer Daniel Kaffee, a role Tom Cruise played in the 1992 film adaptation of Aaron Sorkin’s play.
Blyth Remains Close to the Hunger Games Filmmakers
“I think he’s fine without my help,” Blyth said of Fiennes, laughing.
He has, however, stayed in regular contact with Francis Lawrence and other colleagues from his film. Blyth said he frequently texts the director and described the production team as good friends.
He also hopes to see the new installment soon. “It looks really great,” he said.
Blyth Played Snow Before His Rise to Power
In 2023’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Blyth played an 18-year-old Coriolanus trying to restore his family’s standing in the Capitol. He is assigned to mentor District 12 tribute Lucy Gray Baird, played by Rachel Zegler, during the 10th Hunger Games.
The relationship places his ambitions alongside increasingly difficult decisions about loyalty and survival. His story begins long before the presidency, showing the choices that lead him toward the authoritarian figure familiar to viewers of the original films.
Donald Sutherland established that older version of Snow across the franchise’s first four movies. Blyth’s prequel explored the character’s beginnings rather than attempting to recreate Sutherland’s president.
Fiennes Takes Over During Haymitch’s Hunger Games
Sunrise on the Reaping takes place 40 years after Blyth’s film, during the 50th Hunger Games. Based on Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel, it centers on 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada, 24 years before Katniss Everdeen enters the arena.
The Second Quarter Quell requires each district to send twice the usual number of tributes. That puts 48 young people into the competition, with Fiennes’ Snow already ruling Panem.
When his casting was announced in May 2025, producer Nina Jacobson said the filmmakers wanted an actor who could honor Sutherland’s legacy. She also described working with Fiennes as a longtime ambition, according to ABC News.
Lawrence returns as director. As Variety reported, the cast also includes Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket, Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee, Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman and Mckenna Grace as Maysilee Donner.
Blyth Is Avoiding a Tom Cruise Imitation on Broadway
Blyth has not contacted Cruise about the character either. “I’m trying to do my own thing,” he explained.
Although he admires the film, he said he has not watched it since he was younger. Keeping that distance helps him avoid copying Cruise’s choices and approach the scenes as though they are happening for the first time.
The play follows Kaffee as he defends two Marines accused of murder. His colleague JoAnne Galloway pushes him beyond his usual preference for resolving cases without a trial, and their investigation brings them into conflict with the military chain of command.
Michael Arden directs the revival, with Bradley Whitford as Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessep and Krysta Rodriguez as Lieutenant Commander JoAnne Galloway. It is the first Broadway revival of Sorkin’s play.
According to Broadway Direct, the production is scheduled to run at Lincoln Center Theater’s Vivian Beaumont Theater through January 10, 2027.