How The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes Cast Should Really Look

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" hit bookstores in May 2020 and found its way into movie theaters in mid-November 2023. Francis Lawrence, who directed the previous three films in the franchise, picked up where he left off and his experience greatly benefited the adaptation. The crew put together compelling settings, costumes, and more to bring the world of Panem back to life on the silver screen.

Like the other films in the franchise, "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" features a large cast of characters, each with their unique style, mannerisms, and appearances. The casting folks clearly put in a lot of hard work to find the best actors suited to the roles. With veterans like Viola Davis, Peter Dinklage, and Jason Schwartzman joining relative newcomers, there's more than enough talent to go around.

Of course, adapting a novel into a film often requires changes, especially regarding character depictions. The best actor for the role might not look like their character's description in the book, or changes could be made to suit the film's version of the story. But these are the leading players in "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" and how they should have looked, according to the book.

Lucy Gray Baird is the female tribute from District 12, and Rachel Zegler played her remarkably well. Lucy is charismatic, steadfast, and has an exceptional stage presence. This is due to her singing prowess and sass, which she displays the moment she's called as a tribute, singing, "You can't take my sass. You can't take my talking. You can kiss my a**!"

Zegler fits the book's description of Lucy remarkably well. Both have dark, curly hair and wear a once-colorful dress, though her mentor makes it look new in the book. Like other actors playing characters in the film, Zegler's weight is healthier than it should be — this is especially true of people from District 12.

As described in the book: "Lucy Gray Baird stood upright in a dress made of a rainbow of ruffles, now raggedy but once fancy. Her dark, curly hair was pulled up and woven with limp wildflowers. Her colorful ensemble drew the eye as to a tattered butterfly in a field of moths."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 10/10 - Zegler was perfectly cast to play Lucy, and she even nailed the Southern accent Suzanne Collins uses when reading the character's dialogue out loud.

Dr. Volumnia Gaul is the mastermind and creator behind the muttations used in the Hunger Games, and she's the head gamemaker responsible for overseeing them. She's also one of the most fascinating characters in a film chock full of them. This is in no small part due to Viola Davis' brilliant performance in the movie, which features some alterations to her character's look. However, they unquestionably add credibility to Gaul's depiction as a mad scientist.

Specifically, the film's Dr. Gaul has heterochromia — she has two different colored irises. Davis requested this modification personally, believing it fit the immoral scientist's personality and penchant for dangerous lab work. The book's description is limited to her age and hair, but it also mentions a stoop. Davis didn't portray a stoop in the film; this version of Gaul stands and walks upright. In terms of aging, the makeup department made Davis look older than she is, which better approximates the character's description in the book.

As described in the book: "A small, stooped old woman with frizzy gray hair."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 8/10 - Davis' performance is top-notch, which is hardly surprising, but she loses points due to the addition of heterochromia, which worked well for the film but isn't in the novel.

Tigris first appears, played by Rosa Gotzler, in a flashback alongside her cousin Coriolanus Snow. In the present, Hunter Schafer played the character who, like her cousin, is one of the few to appear in prior "Hunger Games" films. In "Mockingjay – Part 2," Tigris is played by Eugenie Bondurant, and she looks like a feline, but in "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," she's yet to make this transformation.

Tigris isn't described as beautiful in the book — far from it. Instead, she's quite the opposite, which doesn't align with Schafer's depiction. In the film, Tigris is an attractive young woman with long blonde hair. She wears makeup and has an appealing appearance, so there's no hint of who she is in the novel.

As described in the book: "With her long, pointed nose and skinny body, Tigris was no great beauty, but she had a sweetness, a vulnerability that invited abuse."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 5/10 - Tigris isn't depicted in the film as the book describes her. That's not to say Schafer didn't perform well — she did, but she doesn't have a long, pointed nose and isn't unattractive. She's skinny, but not in the way described in the novel.

Lucretius "Lucky" Flickerman is a weathercaster who interviews the tributes for the 10th Hunger Games and functions as the games' emcee throughout the broadcast. Lucky is charismatic and has a penchant for magic tricks, which he performs whenever he introduces himself to the audience. Jason Schwartzman played him in the film and seemingly channeled Stanley Tucci's Caesar Flickerman (Lucky's son) from the previous movies.

Schwartzman played Flickerman as he's written in the book, which describes him as "clownish." Still, there are a couple of differences between the two. In the novel, Flickerman dusts his hair with a coppery powder, which isn't apparent in the film. Also, there's no mention of a mustache, which Schwartzman prominently displayed with curled ends. On top of that, his parrot, Jubilee, is absent from the film.

As described in the book: "Lucky was dressed in a high-collared blue suit with rhinestone accents, his gelled hair was dusted in coppery powder, and his mood could only be described as merry."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 7/10 - The differences between Schwartzman's portrayal and the book's description are minimal. While Collins doesn't mention a mustache in the book, it doesn't say that he doesn't have one — but the absence of Jubilee is a glaring omission.

The film doesn't show much of Lamina until the games commence, and the tribute from District 7 isn't incapable of handling an axe. In the book, she lands the first kill in the Arena, but in the movie, Lamina hides before killing Marcus and cutting him down from a beam, giving her the high ground over the remaining tributes.

The novel describes Lamina as capable, and while not much is said about her appearance beyond her halo of blonde hair, it's clear she's a fighter. Despite her circumstances, she understands what's at stake and handles it as best she can. Irene Boehm plays her in the film and bears little resemblance to the character's description in the book.

As described in the book: "The summer breeze ruffled her blonde halo of hair, and she squinted against the brightness of the sun. She wore a dress that looked to be fashioned from a flour sack and belted with a piece of rope, and insect bites dotted her bare feet and legs. Her eyes, puffy and exhausted, were reddened but tearless. In fact, she seemed strangely calm for her circumstances."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 6/10 - Lamina should have a halo of blonde hair, not shoulder-length brown curls. Boehm's eyes are correct, but her clothing isn't as drab as described.

Clemensia Dovecote is a friend of Snow, and the two receive a homework assignment requiring an essay on ways to improve the Hunger Games. Clemensia is incapable of helping after witnessing the death of their classmate at the hands of her tribute, so Snow writes the essay. Unfortunately for Clemensia, she takes partial credit, leading Dr. Gaul to punish her severely. In the book, Snow describes Clemensia as the most attractive girl in his year when referencing Lucy's beauty, placing his tribute just behind Clemensia. 

It's difficult to say Ashley Liao isn't a beautiful woman, so she fits that description. The most significant difference relates to Clemensia's disappearance in the movie. In the book, the snake bite disfigures her, causing peeling skin and discolored eyes. She also has a twitch throughout her body, and the bitten area develops a colorful scaled appearance similar to the beast that bit her.

As described in the book: "Raven hair."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 5/10 - Clemensia is attractive in the book and movie, but after she's bitten, she disappears. She should have returned with extensive injuries and disfigurements but is instead dropped by the film's narrative.

Shortly before the film's events unfold, Billy Taupe Clade breaks Lucy's heart. He leaves her for Mayfair, which explains her smug attitude and Billy's apologetic pleas after Lucy is named tribute. He's later revealed to be at the center of the growing rebellion in District 12 and dies at the end of the movie.

Dakota Shapiro played Billy, and he looks a lot like the character described in the book. He has dark hair and carries an accordion. This is a spot-on depiction of the character, though he doesn't wear a sleeveless shirt; instead, Billy partially rolls his sleeves up in the film.

As described in the book: "A dark-haired young man around his age, dressed in a sleeveless shirt and pants ripped off at the knees. ... His face gleamed with sweat, and his movements suggested he'd exceeded his white liquor limit some time ago. Over one shoulder hung a boxy instrument with part of a piano keyboard along one side."

Gamemakers' accuracy score: 9/10 - Shapiro looks like Billy and only needs to rip off his sleeves and dirty his clothes to get it exactly right.