Meet Joseph Zada, the ‘Hunger Games’ and ‘East of Eden’ star about to catch fire
Friday, October 2, 2026
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October 2, 2026 |
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“Zada Bing!” That’s the print headline on Rebecca Ford’s profile of rising star Joseph Zada, who anchors not one but two major projects this fall: East of Eden, where he plays a role made famous by James Dean (no pressure), and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, where he plays the younger version of the character Woody Harrelson plays in the original film series. (So again, no presh.) Zada, who posed for VF wearing his Wolf of Wall Street best, seems fairly unfazed by his imminent fame—even though he had to fight like a scrappy kid from District 12 to get that Hunger Games role. “They put me through what felt like an unnecessary hell until I got there and I was shooting,” he says. “And then you understand that it is necessary to put someone through a long and hard process because that’s what the film is.” Elsewhere, Maxwell Adler charts how AI-generated images have stoked rumors of a romance between Michael B. Jordan and Raye (who are not, in fact, dating); Dan Adler digs into the culture of secrecy behind You Can See Everything; and Rebecca Ford also details the balancing act Tom Cruise must strike as awards season unfolds: campaigning for an Oscar without looking like he wants it too badly. (I have seen Digger, and I’d say Cruise is in no danger of getting a nomination for it. But stranger things have happened.) More tomorrow! |
HILLARY BUSISFEATURES EDITOR |
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Zada battled thousands of fellow up-and-comers to nab the role of Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping—and that's not the only way his life imitates his art. Read more |
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Movies I Can’t See Anything: A Tale About Elizabeth Holmes, Billy Evans, A24, and Me By Dan Adler One writer finds himself caught in the web of eccentricity, intrigue, and villainy spun by Nathan Fielder, the notorious couple he shadowed, and the film studio’s cloak-and-dagger PR. Read more |
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Culture Raye and Michael B. Jordan Make a Great Couple. There’s Just One Problem. By Maxwell Adler They’re not actually dating. But photorealistic images of their nonexistent romance show how easy it has become to manufacture celebrity gossip—and how difficult it is to make it disappear. Read more |
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Royals Who Owns Princess Diana’s Legacy? By Katie Nicholl As the 30th anniversary of Diana’s death nears, Charles Spencer’s memoir, reports of Prince Harry making a documentary about his mother, and Prince William’s silence have thrust her back into the spotlight. Read more |
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Hollywood Tom Cruise’s Toughest Stunt Yet: Campaigning for an Oscar Without Looking Like He Wants One By Rebecca Ford Timothée Chalamet and Bradley Cooper learned the cost of looking thirsty. Tom Cruise will have to pull off a tricky balancing act for his Digger campaign. Read more |
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posted by Francis Dwight at 3:24 PM
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