Joseph Zada and Mckenna Grace have addressed fans who hope their on-screen chemistry in The Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping reflects a romance off-screen. The co-stars said they are Friends, not a couple, while discussing the online speculation with Refinery29 Australia.
Zada called the idea of being shipped together “pretty weird” and said Grace feels like his much younger sister. Grace described Zada as family, adding that fans can pair characters or people as they like so long as it does not intrude on anyone’s personal life. Zada also joked that fans have paired him with another castmate, Ben Wang.
The actors said they both have partners. Zada is reportedly dating Sydney student Polly Talarico, whom he said in a Vanity Fair interview he met at a bar in Sydney earlier this year. Grace has spoken publicly about her relationship with Mason Thames, her co-star in Regretting You, calling him her “best friend” and saying she is happy to share her affection openly.
Grace said she sees no reason to hide her relationship because of the possibility that it could end later. She prefers to focus on the present, while noting that some moments remain private between her and her partner. She has also joked that Thames spends so much time on the sets of her projects that he has become an honorary member of District 12.
Sources: Cosmopolitan.