Exclusive Interview: Nick Benson Chats About ‘The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbooks & Snakes,’ Collaborating with Rachel Zegler, and More

Nick Benson is one of the most exciting young talents of his generation. Already in his career, he’s landed coveted roles in projects, including Big Shot and Boo, Bitch. This November, he stars as District 12 Tribute, Jessup, in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, eighteen-years-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.

With the tenth annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the girls tribute from impoverished District 12. But, after Lucy Gray commands all of Panem’s attention by defiantly singing during the reaping ceremony. Snow thinks he might be able to turn the odds in their favor. Uniting their instincts for showmanship and newfound political savvy, Snow and Lucy’s race against time to survive will ultimately reveal who is a songbird, and who is a snake.

Pop Culturalist was lucky enough to speak with Nick about his journey thus far, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, collaborating with fellow tribute Rachel Zegler, and more.

PC: How did this journey as a storyteller begin for you?
Nick: I started pretty early. Growing up, I always did little plays for fun. It’s what my parents put me into. That started in preschool, and I did it on and off until middle school.

Then I started taking theater classes in school. It wasn’t anything super serious. It was just something that I knew I enjoyed doing. I was having fun with my friends. I didn’t think much more of it. I continued that through high school. I was very much a theater kid.

It was during my senior year when I had to decide what I wanted to do in college. I really thought about it, and acting was the only thing I enjoyed doing.

From there, I applied to a bunch of different theater programs. I auditioned for a bunch of programs and hoped for the best. I got into the USC Acting Program, and it went on from there.

PC: What has that transition been like going from the stage to the screen?
Nick: Honestly, I feel like I’m still learning about screen acting. My program at USC immersed us in both, but it was mostly theater-based training with a bit of film sprinkled in. So I still feel like I have a lot to learn about film. I’m always trying to teach myself by reading books, watching YouTube videos, or taking advice from other actors.

The obvious difference is that in theater, it’s one and done. For film, you hopefully get a bunch of takes, but not too many. [laughs] In that sense, you have to hit your mark in different ways.

In theater, you have time to rehearse and warm up to that performance, but you also have to sustain that and not be robotic and keep it fresh. But for film, you have to be ready for that first take. Then you ease into it and figure out what needs to change. Then I’ll go off the notes that I get from the director and hopefully nail the take. It’s a lot quicker in film.

PC: Who or what has had the biggest influence on your career?
Nick: I look up to a lot of younger actors from my age group. A lot of them are doing such great work. Someone that comes to mind is Zendaya and seeing where she started out and how she’s progressed. I love her trajectory. She’s an incredible actor. She’s super talented. She’s the first person who came to mind, but there are a lot of young actors who I watched growing up and still look up to today.

PC: You’ve had a lot of success already in your career. When you look back, is there a particular moment that stands out?
Nick: It’s probably the first TV gig that I booked, which was a show for Netflix called Boo, Bitch. I was a recurring character. But I booked that a few months after I graduated from college. After that, I got my agent and manager, and I started auditioning a bunch. That was the first thing I landed a few months after graduating. It was such a pleasant surprise. I’m so grateful. So many people spend their whole lives grinding for an opportunity like that. I was so grateful to get that right off the bat and work with so many cool people.

PC: You’re one of the stars of the upcoming Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. You were a fan of the books and the film before you landed the role. How did you celebrate the news that you learned that you landed the part?
Nick: I was in my room. I went downstairs and told my parents immediately because I had been keeping them updated. They were like, “What?” It was insane. I couldn’t think straight for the next hour. We ended up going out to dinner with some close friends and celebrated that moment. We were actually going to celebrate my sister’s graduation, and we broke the news at the same time.

PC: When you’re playing a character who’s lived in another medium, what’s one thing that you wanted to make sure you translated from page to screen? What’s something new that you brought to him?
Nick: I mostly referred to what was in the script because that’s the story that we were telling. There are differences between the script and the source material. But if I ever had any questions or gaps that I needed to fill, I went back to the source material and looked at different passages in the book that might give me more insight into something that I felt was missing.

Francis [Lawrence] was also a great director. He guided me and gave me insight into what he was looking for with my character. He really helped me embody the role of Lucy Gray’s protector because she’s my District partner and we’re allies.

I understood from him how he wanted me to play this character. He wanted me to be her watcher. I didn’t get that as much from the book, but I got that from Francis’ direction and what he was looking for from my character.

PC: In addition to acting, you’ve also produced and written. How have your experiences behind the camera impacted the way that you approach your work onscreen and specifically with how you interpret characters like Jessup?
Nick: I approached Jessup like how I would want anyone to approach a character that I wrote and that’s by living truthfully and being truthful in my work and making it believable. It’s about making these characters real and someone that people relate to it, even if it’s in this dystopian world which The Hunger Games is set in. It’s about keeping it grounded and relatable.

PC: You and Rachel were thrown into this filming experience, which feels like it lent itself to the way your characters find themselves in the games. What was it like getting to collaborate with him? How did you build that bond so quickly?
Nick: First off, it was great getting to work with Rachel [Zegler]. She’s amazing and incredible. She’s one of the most talented actresses today. I didn’t have to act much because when she was singing, I forgot we were filming. I was just listening to her sing. She’s captivating.

But we pretty much got along right off the bat. She came from London filming another movie. I had just come from filming Covid and Coffee. We were literally tossed into the arena. We were like okay, “We’re allies. We’re trying not to get killed.”

Our relationship and our camaraderie were built off camera. She’s so sweet and fun. We got along instantly and shared a lot of laughs. That instant connection definitely made it easier to work with her right off the bat, especially since we had to go into it with an established relationship.

PC: There are so many great up-and-coming actors who are a part of this project. Do you have a favorite behind-the-scenes moment?
Nick: We played a lot of ninja behind the scenes. [laughs] It’s like a summer camp game, but we did that a lot, especially between takes when we were in the arena. That game kept things light on set. When we were off camera, we were having fun, laughing, and goofing around. When the cameras were rolling, we had to step back into character where we’re all trying to kill each other.

PC: Without giving any spoilers, is there a scene in particular that you’re really excited for audiences to see?
Nick: I feel like I’m the head of Rachel’s fan club. [laughs] There’s a moment at the end of the games where she sings this chorus; I had nonstop chills. She was so commanding in that scene. I’m so inspired by her. She sings throughout, but that moment at the end is award-winning.

PC: You’re such an exciting voice in the industry. As you look ahead, is there a dream role that you’d love to tell in front of or behind the camera?
Nick: I would love to do an indie film with A24. I’d love to do a drama of theirs. I feel like my acting style lends itself to their films. Moonlight is one of my favorite movies of all time.

To keep up with Nick, follow him on Instagram. The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes is in theaters now.

Photo Credit: Murray Close for Lionsgate