Playing Maysilee Donner in “The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” has reinforced one very important lesson in Mckenna Grace: there’s nothing weak about being feminine.
The actress, who stars alongside Australia’s Joseph Zada in the highly anticipated prequel, told Variety Australia that her character’s love of dresses, ribbons and looking her best is about far more than appearances. In fact, she argued, in a world where young people are forced to fight to the death for the Capitol’s entertainment, holding on to those seemingly small expressions of individuality becomes an act of rebellion.
It’s a sentiment Grace has come to appreciate in her own life, having spent much of her childhood resisting traditionally feminine interests before eventually learning to embrace them. “It was so exciting, because, you know, I feel like I spent a lot of my life being like, I don’t want to be girly, like I don’t want to wear dresses and stuff,” she explained.
“Now as I’ve gotten older, you know, I’ve found that wearing dresses and ribbons and having my… like, it’s something that I really enjoy. I like being girly, I like being feminine, and I think that a lot of people can mistake that for weakness.”
That misconception sits at the heart of Maysilee’s character. In Suzanne Collins’ bestselling novel, her preoccupation with fashion and social etiquette masks a fiercely defiant personality. Rather than allowing the Capitol to strip her of her identity, Maysilee clings to the very things that make her who she is, turning what might initially appear to be vanity into an act of resistance.
“It was so cool to get to play such a strong and like hot-headed character that still deeply cares about her appearance and her dresses and the way that she’s presented, but not in a vain way,” she told Variety Australia. “It’s, you know, such an important part of her rebellion.
“I think that especially in Maysilee’s instance, it’s her way of holding on to her humanity, and her way of almost rebelling against a system that’s trying to turn her into less than or less than human. So it’s kind of her way of showing that she still has humanity, she still has class, she still has herself in something that’s trying to strip everything away from her identity.”
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The idea of preserving one’s identity in the face of oppression has long been central to “The Hunger Games” franchise, which explores how the Capitol uses violence, propaganda and spectacle to maintain control over Panem’s districts.
Set 24 years before the events of the original films, “Sunrise on the Reaping” follows a 16-year-old Haymitch Abernathy (Zada) as he is selected to compete in the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell. This time, the Capitol doubles the number of tributes, sending 48 young people into the arena.
Grace’s Maysilee is among the District 12 tributes who enter the deadly competition, eventually forming an unlikely alliance with Haymitch as they navigate the Capitol’s increasingly brutal attempts to control them.
Directed by franchise veteran Francis Lawrence, the film also features Ralph Fiennes as President Snow, alongside Elle Fanning, Jesse Plemons, Glenn Close and Kieran Culkin.
“The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping” arrives in Australian cinemas on November 19th.