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One of the most iconic characters from The Hunger Games franchise is none other than Effie Trinket. Elizabeth Banks may have brought the tribute escort to life on the big screens first, but so will her successor, Elle Fanning, as the new actress depicts the younger version of Effie.
Here's what Banks had to say.
How Did Elizabeth Banks React to The Hunger Games Cast for Young Effie Trinket?
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At the Academy Museum Gala on Saturday, Elle Fanning told The Hollywood Reporter that they are currently in the process of filming The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which takes place on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Hunger Games, 24 years before the first movie.
"I'm almost done with my section. Effie is on the screen now," Fanning said, before revealing that she had previously met Banks to talk about the role, "I've met her before, and she actually was so kind, and she sent me these beautiful flowers and said, 'May the odds be ever in your favor.'"
Fanning added they had been "texting a little bit" for a while and couldn't help but appreciate what her performance meant to the franchise. "She made that role iconic and so lovable, and so I hope I can live up to what she did for the fans."
Why Did Fans Vote For Elle Fanning as the Young Version of Effie?
Fans who have long finished reading Suzanne Collins' latest release collectively agreed that they couldn't picture the young Effie being played by anyone other than Elle Fanning.
Considering her previous performances over the years and the similar complexion she and Banks share, it's no wonder why fans would want to see the young Effie played by the same actress who did The Great's Catherine, Maleficent's Aurora, and her titular role in Mary Shelley.
Fanning even credited fans for landing Effie's role, as she told MTV earlier this year, "It was funny, because I think fans made this happen in a way. The studio [Lionsgate] said they were getting kind of hounded online, like, 'Elle needs to play Effie.'"
In the prequel, Effie served as young Haymitch Abernathy's (played by Joseph Zada) stylist before they even met Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark.
Sunrise on the Reaping also happened to be Effie and Haymitch's first time meeting one another, which eventually built to something greater than friendship, as their first kiss in The Mockingjay suggested.
In the meantime, fans can wait to see The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping come out in theaters on November 20, 2026.
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