ComingSoon Editor-in-Chief Tyler Treese spoke to The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star Ashley Liao about playing Clemensia Dovecote in the prequel hit. It is now available digitally and arrives on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 13 from Lionsgate.
“64 years before Katniss Everdeen volunteered as tribute, and decades before Coriolanus Snow became the tyrannical President of Panem, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes follows a young Coriolanus as he unites with Lucy Gray Baird in the 10th Hunger Games, and battles his instincts for both good and evil,” says the synopsis.
Tyler Treese: I was reading that you were a big fan of the Hunger Games growing up, so this was a huge moment for you. I was curious — did you see the movies and then read the books, or were you already a fan?
Ashley Liao: I think the books definitely got to me first. There was a really big push at Costco. All the books were there and my parents were like, “we’re going shopping, send the kids to the book section.” So, of course, I always picked out Hunger Games — the new one that was out. And so I actually think I have my copy of Mockingjay somewhere in my mom’s trunk. But yeah, that got to me first. And then I watched the films, and I’ve got a beautiful photo of me from 2014 in front of the Mockingjay Part One poster in the theater when I was 13 years old.
That’s adorable. So how surreal has it been, then, being in this movie? You’ve been acting for a decade at this point. It’s been ten years, and now you’re being a part of a franchise that you’re such a fan of.
I sometimes can’t believe it is real. I’m so immensely grateful to have the opportunity to play Clemensia. [She’s] such a wonderful, fantastic, confident girl. It’s been an honor getting to join the franchise. The way that I told my friends that I got this job — before I could really say anything – was I just whistled. They instantly knew. So I think that kind of tells you how much power comes along with The Hunger Games name.
What did you like most about Clemensia? Because as you were saying, she’s a very strong character. She’s also plotting and willing to get ahead.
I really admire her confidence. It’s something I work on in my own personal life. So to get to play a character who’s so confident, it kind of puts you in that mindset. I definitely have a newfound kind of inner confidence after it. It’s taught me a lot of things about myself.
Had you read the prequel prior to the movie?
I read it kind of in unison with the script when I got it. I knew that Suzanne Collins had published a new prequel ’cause I’d heard like buzz on X — formerly Twitter. I was really excited to get to see it become a movie. I had a feeling it would, but I didn’t think I’d be a part of it. So that was a surprise.
When I was reading about the book, I saw there’s a different subplot with your character. She survives the snake bite but starts getting scales on her skin. Are you disappointed you didn’t get to be in makeup for days to put on scales and such?
It made me think about [X-Men’s] Mystique. I was thinking about how long Jennifer Lawrence had to sit in that hair and makeup chair. I’m not envious of it, per se, but I would love to go through it at least once. So maybe in that sense I am, I’m sad it didn’t get to happen. I would’ve loved to get to see it come to life.
I love the fashion of the period in which the movie is set. Everybody looks so stylish. What did you like most about the costuming?
Our head costume designer, Trish Summerville, is fantastic. She worked on Catching Fire, which is personally my favorite of the original ones. I love Francis Lawrence’s work in that. But yeah, I think the fashion is really interesting because it’s so futuristic but also so close to the 1930s and 1940s at the same time. You have these automobiles that are quite older. But you also have things like that technology where he’s talking to Tigris, and it kinda looks like FaceTime.
You had some great scenes with Tom Blythe. What really stood out about him as a scene partner? Because he really blew me away.
Yeah. Oh my gosh. The way that Tom gets into character so fast is truly amazing. We’ll be talking about something one second. Then we get direction from Francis, and then we’re just rolling like that. There are some really wonderful scenes that you might see in behind the scenes of us. Giggling and stuff in between takes… So just getting to have a lot of fun was wonderful, and he’s really kind too. I’m really thankful to have gotten to work with him.
Somebody else you work with in the film is Viola Davis. She really transforms into the crazy doctor character. How was it seeing such an acclaimed actress just totally go all in for this wild role?
At the time, she was one of the 24… Well, I think Elton John recently joined. So now [she’s] one of 25 people in the world who have EGOT status. So getting to be in that room — and especially that scene where it’s just Tom Blythe and me and Viola — was a very intimate day on set. I really got to know our casting crew and it was incredible. She gave me wisdom and advice about what having a long career in this industry looks like. And I am forever grateful. I was journaling the whole day. Just, like, little notes in my journal.
How has the fan response been? Because everything I’ve seen online has been so positive, and we’ve seen that it had such a long box office run. So, from your end, how has it been just seeing the fan response to both your character and the film in general?
I knew when joining the Hunger Games franchise that our fans are one of the most important parts [when it comes to] bringing the story to life. I’m really lucky to have gotten to join it. I’ve had just the kindest of words. I literally have a sticker of Clemensia — like on my water bottle – by ClaireIsAsleep commissioned on Twitter. “I am so lucky,” is what I think every day. I open my X every morning to just the kindest of messages. I have no words, really. It makes me so emotional.
You’ve been acting for a decade, but you’re so young. How does it feel to navigate the acting space when you have years of experience but are also getting different types of roles now and still obviously learning? So, where do you kind of feel like you’re at in your career?
When I tell people that I started doing this since 10 years old, and they’re like, “You’ve been doing this for 12 years?!”, I’m like, “Yeah?” I don’t really remember too much about what my life was like before. And I’m immensely grateful. I love my job so much, and I don’t think I ever really hit a wall at any point in my journey. You know, as an actress, and what it means to become a better actress.
I think every day that I’m just living and experiencing life gives me new insight into how to be a better actress. And I can’t believe this is the point I’m at for me. My mom always tells me, “Statistically speaking, like, you shouldn’t have gotten this far. You should have burned out and middle school and just been done with it. Then gone to traditional high school, then college, and all that stuff.” And I was like, “Yeah, wow.” Like I am so lucky. I really love my job a lot. It’s the best in the world.
Have there been any genres or types of movies that you haven’t been able to do yet that are particularly on your to-do list?
Yeah! I posted a video on TikTok of a behind the scenes of that scream — if you know, you know. You can really hear the echo in that room, and a lot of people are like, “We need to get you in a horror film right now.”
For me, I always thought I didn’t like horror. It turns out I just don’t like being scared. I’m fine with, like, thriller horror. I don’t like having nightmares. But I would absolutely love to be in a horror movie and just kind of see how that goes on behind the scenes. Because you watch, and it’s so intense. But I mean, surely you have to be laughing between takes too. So yeah, that’s definitely something now on my list of things I’d love to do.
