Joseph Zada wears Shirt, Pants, Necklace, Tie, and Belt Celine. Sunglasses Oakley.
Joseph Zada is about to have a killer year. This fall, the 21-year-old, born and raised in Sydney, steps into Woody Harrelson’s shoes as a young Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, building a version of the character that’s entirely his own. Then he takes on Cal Trask, the role that made James Dean a legend, in Netflix’s East of Eden adaptation, opposite Florence Pugh. Before either premieres, Zada caught up with his Hunger Games costar Elle Fanning, one of the only people alive who actually knows what’s coming for him.
FRIDAY 2 PM JUN 12, 2026 NEW YORK CITY
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ELLE FANNING: What’s up? Where are you right now?
JOSEPH ZADA: I’m in a rich guy’s house, taking photos.
FANNING: Oh my god. You have a press day?
ZADA: I’m doing the shoot for this.
FANNING: I could have popped by. You’re probably close to me, because I’m in New York too.
ZADA: Probably.
FANNING: Well, we just saw each other. We had to do a little Hunger Games thing.
ZADA: Yeah, mate. We did that thing. You jumped back into that so quickly.
FANNING: You did too.
ZADA: No I didn’t. That took me a week and a lot of stressing, and I don’t know if I did it as elegantly as you did.
FANNING: Oh my gosh, that’s not true. You’re so good. I know you worked on doing Woody [Harrelson]’s voice. Was it hard to find the accent again?
ZADA: It’s more of an occasional cadence, because he’s not completely Southern in the original films. He’s been living in parts of America that don’t have that drawl, but he also has his own natural cadence. His voice is so iconic. I kept working until I sounded exactly like him, and from there I stripped it completely back. I decided when to dial it up or down, based on what was happening with my character.
FANNING: That’s a real skill.
Sweater and Shoes Dior. T-Shirt, Pants, Necklace, and Belt The Society Archive.
ZADA: I know. I worked with quite a few coaches, but I more or less had to let go at some point and try not to focus on the accent, because the last thing you ever want to do is think about an accent while you’re doing it.
FANNING: Totally. I worked with a coach for Elizabeth [Banks]’s accent, but it was interesting what she did with Effie because it was kind of mid-Atlantic. It was English but also not really English. I’m so grateful for the fan stuff on YouTube.
ZADA: [Laughs] I use those all the time.
FANNING: Me too. I would literally go in the trailer and be like, “Alright, pop it on.” I’d watch Elizabeth, and it really helped.
ZADA: I used this sentence: “Embrace the probability of your imminent death and hope in your heart… there’s nothing I can do to save you.”
FANNING: I’m curious how you found out you got the role of Haymitch? Were there a lot of callbacks?
ZADA: Yeah. I met [casting director] Deb Zane in January of 2025, and she said, “We’re going to start auditioning soon.” They sent the audition when I was on East of Eden, and they asked for one improvised scene. Because I was shooting, I told them, “I’ll have it to you in three weeks,” because I had a plan to shoot the scenes properly and edit them. It’s a crazy audition and I really went all out.
FANNING: Did Florence [Pugh] help you with the audition?
ZADA: No, she didn’t. Actually, I flew back to Australia from New Zealand just so I could work with my older brother. He helped me, and so did my dad and a couple of friends. Then the day I finished East of Eden, they called me up and said I had another callback, so I went to L.A. and met with the Lionsgate people, doing chemistry reads and callbacks. It was a long process, which obviously it had to be, so they could find the right young person who would really work hard. I got back to Sydney and woke to a 7 a.m. call from my entire team, so I more or less knew immediately. I just started swearing, like, “Now I have to do this and it’s going to be really hard.”
FANNING: [Laughs] You were more scared after finding out?
ZADA: Yes. Then the announcement came out a day after, so everyone found out at the same time as me. It was pretty full-on.
FANNING: Wow. What’s the strangest encounter you’ve had since you were cast? With fans or anyone being weird?
ZADA: [Laughs] We shot in a small town in Spain, only about 100 people. By the time we got there it was up to 250, because we brought 100 crew people and 50 fans. If you walked outside, you were immediately signing books and photos for superfans who made it all the way to this random place in Spain. I remember three people who came all the way from America to give me the pajama pants Woody wore to the premiere, like an exact copy.
FANNING: Whoa.
ZADA: [Laughs] It was crazy. I actually wear them to bed a lot.
FANNING: You wear them every day?
ZADA: I washed them once, just in case. [Laughs] Or maybe twice, but yeah, I low-key wear those quite a bit.
FANNING: Also, apparently your name is not your name?
Shirt Fendi. Tank Top, Jeans, Necklace, and Belt The Society Archive. Watch Cartier.
ZADA: No, it’s not.
FANNING: What’s your name?!
ZADA: My original name is Cumpston, which my older brother still goes by.
FANNING: Wait, so your last name is different?
ZADA: Yes. But my grandmother’s last name is Zada. When I was starting out, about to go for my big break, I was on my last callback and I’d been thinking about changing my name. My grandmother’s Australian Indigenous and also Afghan. The name comes from my great-grandfather, who was an Afghan cameleer. Our family built the first mosque in Australia, so it’s got great history, that name. I felt a weird spiritual connection to it, and now I feel like I’ve got my great-grandfather and my grandmother guiding me as my lucky stars.
FANNING: I love that. People think my sister and I changed our names, but we didn’t. We both go by our middle names.
ZADA: What’s your actual last name?
FANNING: My last name is Fanning, but my first name is Mary, so it’s Mary Elle Fanning. I’d be in school and kids would be like, “What’s your middle name?” I’d say, “Elle,” and they’d say, “So your name’s Elle Elle Fanning?” I’m like, “No, we just go by these other names.” It’s a Southern thing.
ZADA: So does your whole family call you Mary?
FANNING: No, never. It’s been Elle from the jump. I want to talk about East of Eden too, because I’m excited to see it. You take on such challenging roles. You’ve got Woody Harrelson and now Cal Trask, the role that launched James Dean.
ZADA: Yeah.
FANNING: Was that daunting? Did you watch the film or did you avoid it?
ZADA: In my first callback they asked if I’d watched the film. I said, “Well, not yet. I was thinking maybe after I got the role,” and she’s like, “No, no, no, stop. Promise me you won’t watch the film.” I said, “Yeah, sure. I guess I won’t watch it.” So I waited about eight months to watch it. I didn’t necessarily feel pressure until I finished the job and watched the film. Then I was like, “Oh, shit.” [Laughs] That is an incredible, incredible performance from James Dean. But also, I’m in the last two episodes. This project captures much more of the book, as opposed to the film.
FANNING: Yeah.
ZADA: Then with Woody, this is very much my interpretation of the character. You meet Woody after 24 years of drinking, so I could do whatever the hell I wanted with that character.
FANNING: Right. You didn’t have the booze yet.
ZADA: No, and I think the fans are probably more likely to enjoy my interpretation of it, as opposed to me trying to mimic something that already exists.
FANNING: Did you get Woody’s blessing? Did you talk to him before?
ZADA: No. We ended up meeting, but we’d already shot. For my nerves and for me to really attack it, I had to not think about that at all. There was already too much of a task at hand. But when I did meet Woody, I had his blessing, and he was so, so lovely about the whole process.
FANNING: I feel like the Hunger Games community—
ZADA: It’s incredible.
FANNING: It’s so joyous and supportive.
ZADA: Oh my goodness, I’ll never have it ever again. I mean, I hope I will. But the fact that this is their fifth film together and it’s the same story—the same themes and the same people behind the camera—this is a perfectly curated team. It’s also a family. I got to walk in and be completely accepted, and not just while we were at work. I was always invited to come out with the crew and go to dinners and be a part of it.
FANNING: I felt the same way. Also, we have something in common because my sister’s an actor and your brother’s an actor, but he’s older, right?
ZADA: He’s six years older than me. My younger brother’s an actor too.
FANNING: Oh, so it really is in the family.
ZADA: Yes, it’s really in the family.
FANNING: Were all you boys inspired by your dad? I certainly felt like, “My sister did this, so I want to do it too.”
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ZADA: One hundred percent. My mom is a producer too, or was a producer. My whole family and every family friend was somewhat connected. We grew up watching movies every single day. We did acting courses on our school holidays. It was never strange for us to act, or to be chucked into a short film for someone’s friend. But it only properly appealed to me at about 15, when I started helping my older brother with auditions when he’d come back from America. Then I wanted to do it myself.
FANNING: So you already had that support system built in.
ZADA: Yeah. We’d work up to eight hours on auditions. We’d drive each other to the proper limits of a scene and try to do it 100 different ways just for fun.
FANNING: That’s really cool. Who’s the first call with big exciting news?
ZADA: I got the call when there was no one in the house besides my little sister. I walked upstairs and we jumped up and down and cried together and I gave her a big hug. It was really, really special.
FANNING: Gosh. Who are you when you’re not a character, Joe?
ZADA: I’m chilling.
FANNING: But you’re chilling mostly in Australia?
ZADA: I guess so. There hasn’t been a whole lot of chill until very recently. But yeah, Australia is a safe place.
FANNING: Is that where you see yourself living full-time?
ZADA: No. I want to live somewhere else for a little bit. My mom doesn’t really like that idea. She’d rather I just stay home. But I do really want to go live in L.A. or New York, or maybe London at some point, so I can watch football every day. That’s what my older brother’s doing, because we’re both die-hard Arsenal fans.
FANNING: Wow. I went to a Man City game, but that’s probably a bad thing to say, right?
ZADA: It’s a bad thing to say.
FANNING: [Laughs] I’m so sorry.
ZADA: That’s a horrible thing to say. You kind of look like you could be related to Erling Haaland.
FANNING: I know. [Laughs]
ZADA: You look like you’d be siblings.
FANNING: A hundred percent. Did you film East of Eden in London?
ZADA: No, we were in New Zealand.
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FANNING: And how was Florence as a mother?
ZADA: She’s scary. She shouldn’t be that scary. [Laughs] As a mother, it doesn’t add up. It’s funny. It was very daunting, but she’s so friendly and makes everyone feel so comfortable. She’s such a leader as well, which is crazy because she is so young, but she’s got a very old soul.
FANNING: Yeah, very powerful.
ZADA: Very powerful. She worked so hard and I can’t wait for people to see her performance, because it is so singular. It’s really something special. I think it’ll live on forever.
FANNING: Oh, I can’t wait. When does it come out?
ZADA: In the fall. It’ll be close to Hunger Games, which is awesome.
FANNING: Oh my gosh, you’re going to have a lot of press to do.
ZADA: Lots of press.
FANNING: Are there any actors on your bucket list to work with?
ZADA: I love the actors I love, but I’m shit scared of working with them.
FANNING: [Laughs] Yeah.
ZADA: I don’t know how excited I’d be as opposed to deathly nervous.
FANNING: Well, I just loved working with you.
ZADA: I loved working with you, too. I feel like our characters hold a concentrated energy. They’re so opposite, but seeing them connect was really funny, and I can’t wait to see how that looks onscreen. You’re just so freaking talented, Elle. I really hope we get to work together again soon.
FANNING: We will. I want that too. I love you. Thanks for asking me to do this.
ZADA: Love you too. You’re a great interviewer.
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Groomer: Kumi Craig using La Mer at The Wall Group.
Photo Assistant: Diego Salcedo.
Styling Assistant: Izaake Zuckerman.
Production Director: Alexandra Weiss.
Photo Producer: Georgia Ford.
Special Thanks: Wendy Fentress at Priority One Productions.