The Hunger Games came out during the era when book-to-screen adaptations were all the rage. From the casting and acting to the cinematography and themes, even today fans can rewatch the series and get lost within Panem. Renewed interest in the franchise came out when the author of the books, Suzanne Collins, released President Snow’s villain origin story. It was eventually turned into a movie, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
Collins will release another novel, Sunrise on the Reaping, following the 50th Hunger Games and a movie will follow. Thus, fans will get a chance to see the beginning of another intriguing character: Haymitch Abernathy. Who didn’t fall in love with Woody Harrelson’s portrayal of this sour, sarcastic drunkard who had a soft spot for Katniss? Some fans want Lionsgate to work CGI magic to age Harrelson down, while others have a list of potential actors.
It’s unclear whether the film will age Haymitch up or whether the physical description will align closer with the description in the book vs the actor in the movie. Either way, here are 10 actors who could be great options to play a young Haymitch.
10 Jack Champion
Jack Champion has been building up his resume since before hitting his teenage years. The huge shift in his career came in 2022 when he played a supporting role in Avatar: The Way of Water. Nothing like acting in a film that grossed over $2.3 billion to put you on the map. Since then, he starred in Scream VI and Retribution.
Some actors may get intimidated working with big names and on big productions. But Champion has collaborated with Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldaña, Liam Neeson, and more. The spotlight won’t scare him.
A Promising Young Actor
As with a few others on this list, Champion isn’t exactly a spitting image of Harrelson. However, it is worth noting that he’s a better fit for the Haymitch described in the book, for example with his dark curly hair. Champion’s work spans genres from thrillers to horror to dramas; there’s not one box he wants to stay in. Haymitch was a teenager when he won the games and while Champion would be in his early twenties if cast, he can pass for a teen more readily than others on this list.
9 Ewan Mitchell
After Sunrise on the Reaping was announced, it didn’t take long for fans online to offer up names of actors who could realistically play a younger Harrelson. Ewan Mitchell‘s name was brought up a lot. The English actor has been in several hit projects lately, from the ongoing HBO series House of the Dragon to the divisive Saltburn. Over the past few years, Mitchell has seemingly hit his stride in the entertainment industry and it looks like it’s only up from here.
Why He Could Work
British actors are notoriously great at adopting an American accent, so that likely won’t be an issue. Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss from the original Hunger Games films was several years older than her character in the book. Though the world in House of the Dragon is quite different than Panem, watching a few episodes, it’s easy to see how he’d be able to transition into the vicious world of the Hunger Games.
8 Harris Dickinson
Harris Dickinson is a talented young actor who many are waiting to nab that breakout role. He first landed on the scene in an indie film called Beach Rats. More recently he starred in Where the Crawdads Sing (another book-to-screen adaptation) and The Iron Claw. In these two films, he sported a thick country accent, and in Beach Rats he donned a typical Brooklyn accent, thus it may be a shock to learn he’s a Brit.
No Question on Talent
His talent at adopting other patterns of speech leads to one tick in the column for him being able to portray Haymitch. Dickinson also worked with Harrelson previously on Triangle of Sadness, thus perhaps he picked up on a few of the O.G.’s mannerisms.
Aside from all of that, he’s truly a talented actor who has the chops in both comedy and drama. A quick look around his filmography would ease any doubts about whether Dickinson can carry the emotional weight present in Hunger Games movies.
7 James Gaisford
This is a niche choice that perhaps would only be on the radar of the biggest Hunger Games fans. James Gaisford is an actor who has mostly starred in indie films and shorts or with small appearances on television shows. Some might recognize him from an episode of the Disney show Bunk’d or on Criminal Minds. So why could he be a good young Haymitch? Because he’s done it before.
Not His First Rodeo
Gaisford has acted in a few projects from Mainstay Productions, an indie production company that posts on YouTube. In 2011, they made a fan short for the Hunger Games set during the Second Quarter Quell aka Haymitch’s games. Gaisford played a young Haymitch. Though the project lasted just twelve minutes, he is already familiar with tapping into this character and even more intimidating, the fanbase. The prospect of casting a relatively unknown actor is always exciting.
6 Rudy Pankow
Rudy Pankow is part of the ensemble cast of the hugely successful Netflix series Outer Banks. There he plays JJ, the wildcard of the friend group who often makes the worst decisions with the best intentions. Looks-wise, Pankow could pass for a young Harrelson. And given the number of action sequences he does while running through North Carolina, the Bahamas, and South America, he could definitely handle the physicality required of competitors in the Hunger Games.
Three Dimensional Characters
In early fancasts for a young Haymitch, many have shouted out his Outer Banks co-star Drew Starkey. Both are great options, but Pankow has been able to show more depth with his character of JJ which earns him a spot on this list. Haymitch appears detached and careless, but there is so much under the surface. Similarly, OBX fans know that JJ is not just the reckless clown some may label him as. A role in Sunrise on the Reaping could be Pankow’s breakout moment.
5 Louis Hofmann
Louis Hofmann is a German actor who has worked in both German-language and English-language productions. One of his biggest early roles was in a 2015 war drama titled Land of Mine. In 2017, he starred in a German sci-fi series called Dark that involves time travel and solving a disappearance. Thus far, his career has balanced television and movies quite well.
A Fresh Face with Experience
An underrated piece of his work is All the Light We Cannot See, an adaptation from an Anthony Doerr novel. Hofmann played a young German teenager who was forced to join the Nazis. The miniseries didn’t grab much attention, despite names like Mark Ruffalo and Hugh Laurie attached to the project, but it’s worth a watch. Hofmann would be unknown to much of the Hunger Games target audience, yet has the experience to justify trusting him in this role.
4 Jacob Tremblay
If filmmakers want to cast closer to Haymitch’s actual age in the book, Jacob Tremblay is a great option. Tremblay started as a young child actor, most notably starring alongside Brie Larson in Room. The heavy subject matter aside, Tremblay’s performance was remarkable, earning him awards from the Canadian Screen Awards, Critics’ Choice Awards, and a SAG Award nomination. All before he was ten years old, by the way.
A Shining Young Talent
Since then, Tremblay has continued to work, expanding his talents into voice acting. He voiced the titular character in Pixar’s Luca as well as Flounder in the live-action The Little Mermaid. Granted, Tremblay looks nothing like Harrelson. But embodying a character requires more than being an exact physical replica. When it comes to current young actors who’ve proven they can handle big productions with grace, Tremblay cannot be ignored.
3 Walker Scobell
At fifteen years old as of 2024, Walker Scobell is the youngest actor on this list. If the film wants to hammer home the brutality of selecting children to fight to the death, baby-faced Scobell would be an excellent choice. Scobell is best known for his role as Percy Jackson in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series released in 2023. Not only was this a book adaptation, but it followed a previous adaptation from the 2010s. Thus, Scobell has stepped into big shoes before.
Young Star on the Rise
Sunrise on the Reaping would be a more mature role for Scobell. Unlike other installments that came years after the original, most critics agreed that Scobell’s Percy Jackson was an improvement on the predecessor. So this teen actor isn’t unfamiliar with tackling challenges. Visually, Scobell is a combination of book and movie Haymitch, which could satisfy diehards of either interpretation.
2 Percy Hynes White
Percy Hynes White is best known for his role as Xavier Thorpe on Wednesday. Sure, Jenna Ortega stole much of the headlines with her stoic, detached portrayal of Wednesday Addams. Yet the entire student body that filled the halls Ortega’s character inhabited also helped the show come to life. White was one of two love interests, stepping into the shoes of the moody artistic guy.
Why He Could Work
Unfortunately, viewers who connected with his character won’t see his character in the forthcoming season. The fans clearly favored the other love interest, Tyler, played by Hunter Doohan and it seems that’s the direction the plot is heading in season two. However, if getting Haymitch’s essence in the looks department is important to fans, White is one to consider.
1 Charlie Plummer
Fans of other young adult novels probably recognize the name John Green. Looking for Alaska is one of Green’s most popular novels and in 2019 a miniseries premiered on Hulu starring Charlie Plummer. It’s a coming-of-age story about a teen boy named Miles (Plummer) who enrolls at a new school and follows him as he makes friends and falls in love. Several of the young actors’ performances garnered praise, but especially Plummer who brought tenderness and authenticity to the role.
Why He Could Work
Online, some people liken him to Chad Michael Murray, but he can surely pass for a teen Harrelson as well. But again, it’ll take more than long blonde hair to truly capture the essence of Haymitch. Plummer is still at the beginning of his career but has already displayed such variety in the projects he chooses and talent. He even portrayed a young Franklin D. Roosevelt, so he understands what it means to be inspired by another figure (though this one isn’t fictional) and make it his own.
