‘We Were Liars’ Co-creator All Praises for New Star Joseph Zada Who Will Also Star in ‘Hunger Games’ Prequel ‘Sunrise On The Reaping’
If talent had a name, it might just be Joseph Zada, a fresh-faced 20-year-old Australian actor turning heads faster than you can say Sunrise on the Reaping. This is a sentiment shared…
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 10: Joseph Zada attends the Prime Video “We Were Liars” Tribeca Festival World Premiere Screening and Panel on June 10, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Valerie Terranova/Getty Images for Prime Video)
If talent had a name, it might just be Joseph Zada, a fresh-faced 20-year-old Australian actor turning heads faster than you can say Sunrise on the Reaping. This is a sentiment shared by We Were Liars co-creator, Julie Plec, who couldn’t stop gushing. She revealed that crew members would literally stop mid‑shoot to watch Zada perform.
Julie Plec is a Fan of Joseph Zada
In an interview with Page Six, Plec shared how much of a fan she is of Zada, including the crew. When he was on set doing some of these scenes, I would get texts from people being like, ‘Oh my god, you should see what this kid is doing right now,’” Plec said. “The crew would stop their work and stand and watch him act and say, ‘Who is this kid? He’s something special.’”
Plec also revealed that Mamie Gummer, who plays Zada’s mom on We Were Liars, recommended the actor for the Netflix show, East of Eden. Plec said, “[Gummer] called her friend Zoe Kazan, who was casting East of Eden at Netflix, and said, ‘You have got to see this kid,’ and he ended up going and getting the part. There’s something kind of extraordinary about him, and I’m looking forward to seeing his career flourish.”
Plec had a hand in launching the careers of several young actors who starred in some of her shows, including The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, and Kyle XY.
Zada as Young Haymitch Abernathy
Hunger Games fans have been gushing about the casting of the prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, saying it’s spot-on. Aside from Zada, the cast also includes Jesse Plemons as Plutarch Heavensbee (a role originally played by the late Philip Seymour Hoffman), Ralph Fiennes as President Coriolanus Snow (previously portrayed by Donald Sutherland), Elle Fanning as Effie Trinket (played by Elizabeth Banks in the earlier films), Kieran Culkin as Caesar Flickerman (portrayed by Stanley Tucci), and Maya Hawke as Wiress (originally played by Amanda Plummer).
Zada said in an interview with Deadline about his casting: “I’m a very, very, very big fan of everything to do with it and the whole cast and everyone involved. I’m so ridiculously nervous.”
Sunrise on the Reaping is scheduled for a theatrical release on November 20, 2026.
