Mckenna Grace says filming 'Sunrise on the Reaping’ took a toll so she reached out to Josh Hutcherson

Mckenna Grace has revealed that filming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping was so physically and emotionally demanding that she reached out to former co-star Josh Hutcherson to ask about his own experience making the franchise.

The actress, 20, stars as twins Maysilee and Merrilee Donner in the upcoming prequel, with Maysilee selected as a tribute in the 50th Hunger Games alongside a young Haymitch Abernathy, played by Joseph Zada.

Speaking to PEOPLE, Grace explained that her body struggled to distinguish between the fictional trauma her character endured in the arena and the reality of filming the scenes.

“Eventually after I booked the film and I was shooting, I reached out to him and we spoke and I was like, ‘Were your games, did it feel as physically taxing and emotionally?’” she said.

Grace, who previously worked with Hutcherson in Five Nights at Freddy’s 2, recalled being surprised by how difficult the filming process had been.

“I was like, ‘This is crazy.’ And he was like, ‘Yeah. Yeah, no, they’re all like that. It’s definitely hard,’” she said.

Hutcherson, 34, played Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen in the original four Hunger Games films, released between 2012 and 2015.

Grace explained that she was not necessarily looking for advice from Hutcherson, but wanted to hear stories about his time on the films as a longtime fan of the franchise.

“I wanted to know what their games were like and also what Jen and Josh were like at our age, and the fun that they had on those movies and what it was like working in the water on Catching Fire,” she said.

Hutcherson shared memories of the intense filming conditions, including early call times and freezing water during the second film, in which Katniss and Peeta return to the arena for the 75th Hunger Games.

“He was like, ‘That stuff was intense and brutal, and you’d get up so early and be in this freezing water,’” Grace recalled.

The actress added that hearing those stories was a highlight of her experience, although she admitted that focusing on anecdotes rather than advice might not have been the most helpful approach.

Grace’s role in Sunrise on the Reaping marks her entry into the Hunger Games universe, with the film also featuring Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close and Elle Fanning.

Lawrence and Hutcherson are also set to reprise their roles as Katniss and Peeta in brief appearances in the prequel.

The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled to arrive in cinemas on November 20, 2026.