Mckenna Grace Wanted Maysilee’s Anger to Survive Her Kindness

Grace discussed the roles with The Blast while serving fans at Raising Cane’s in Hollywood on Tuesday, November 10. With only about two scenes to establish Merrilee, she said, she relied on physical differences—how each sister smiles, walks and carries herself—to make the twins distinct. Grace described Merrilee as a lighter counterpart to Maysilee’s anger.

As a longtime fan of “The Hunger Games,” Grace advocated for details including Maysilee drinking coffee, trying to get into Merrilee’s hummingbird pen and wearing a mockingjay. She also wanted the character’s braid and bangs included. But her central concern was that Maysilee’s developing kindness should not mute her anger.

“[S]he can still be angry and very vocally stand up for what she believes in,” Grace told The Blast, adding that Maysilee could defend herself and those around her while also becoming kind. “I didn’t want one to take away from the other.”

The prequel is set 24 years before the original “The Hunger Games” and begins on the morning of the reaping for the 50th Games, the Second Quarter Quell. It is scheduled to open in theaters November 20. Before the release, Grace spent an hour serving Box Combos to selected fans at Raising Cane’s Sunset Boulevard location, working at the counter and drive-thru. The appearance followed earlier events with the chain, including Super Bowl LX, F1 Miami and the World Cup final, as well as its April Fools’ Day Cane’s Sauce Coke campaign.