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Tom Blyth found the role of Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes harder to prep for than Billy the Kid.
It all came down to fan expectations. Speaking to ClutchPoints ahead of the premiere of Billy the Kid Season 2: Part Two, Blyth discussed the two roles.
Both parts have been played by other actors. Donald Sutherland played Coriolanus Snow in the Hunger Games films. Billy the Kid, on the other hand, has been played by several actors. I asked Blyth which role he found harder to prep for to which he smiled and said, “That's a great question.”
It was almost as if I had stumped the young star. But he did end up having an answer.
“I would say Coriolanus Snow was probably harder to prepare for just because the films that were previously showing his story were more recent, so I felt that pressure a little more,” he explained.
Billy the Kid vs. Coriolanus Snow
As for Billy the Kid, the role has been played by countless actors, but that didn't bother Blyth. He hasn't seen other iterations of the character — “I was able to somehow avoid all the other iterations throughout my life,” he said.
Even once he landed the part, he “didn't seek them out” and still hasn't to this day.
“I didn't want to copy [and] I didn't want to compare my performance or my choices to other actors who came before me,” Blyth said.
The same couldn't be said for Snow. Sutherland starred in all four Hunger Games films from 2012-15. Blyth played his role not even a decade later, resulting in more pressure.
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“Donald Sutherland's performance felt a little more recent in people's memory, so that was definitely present,” Blyth confessed. “But ultimately, it ended up being fine because it's such a different story at a different point in his life.”
That's why Blyth's Billy the Kid works, too. Blyth said that his versions of both Snow and Billy are “very different versions of how we've seen them before.”
He then credited the writers for creating “fresh takes on these characters that we think we know.”
Tom Blyth in The Hunger Games
In 2023, Blyth starred in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The film is an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' prequel novel of the same name.
He starred as a young version of Coriolanus Snow. In the film, Snow takes Lucy Gray (Rachel Zegler) under his wing. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes also features Peter Dinklage, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, Jason Schwartzman, and Viola Davis.
Unfortunately, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes wasn't a box office hit. The film grossed just $337 million worldwide — the lowest total in the Hunger Games franchise. For reference, the next lowest-grossing film was Mockingjay – Part 2 ($653 million), the final entry in the main film series.
It's unclear what the future holds for Tom Blyth as Coriolanus Snow. Should he return to the Hunger Games franchise, he has ideas for his character. Blyth told ClutchPoints that he would like to see Snow attend Capitol University and become the Head Gamemaker.
Before then, Tom Blyth will be seen in MGM+'s Billy the Kid Season 2: Part Two. The second half of the season will premiere on June 2.
