Posted in: Exclusive, Interview, Lionsgate, Movies | Tagged: Flora Li Thiemann, the ballad of songbirds and snakes, the hunger games, The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes: Flora Thiemann on Crossover Success

Flora Li Thiemann (The Gryphon) spoke to us about expanding her reach internationally with The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.

Flora Li Theimann is emerging as one of the biggest up-and-coming stars from Germany since her debut in 2009's Doctor's Diary as a child actress. From there, she's been a regular staple of German film and TV, including Nelly's Adventure (2016), Sputnik (2013), and Tiger Milk (2017). With the advent of streaming along with the increased demand for international content due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, outlets like Netflix, Paramount+, Max, and Prime Video have scoured media for new content, which includes the German fantasy series The Gryphon, currently on Prime Video. While promoting her role as Livia Cardew in Lionsgate's The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, a prequel to the original films based on the Suzanne Collins franchise, Thiemann spoke to Bleeding Cool about what it was like to join the franchise with returning director Francis Lawrence, if she did any prepping, and how it feels to be reaching new audiences abroad beyond her home in Germany.

How 'The Hunger Games' Provided a Unique Opportunity for Flora Li Thiemann

Bleeding Cool: How did you get involved with 'The Hunger Games?' What was it like being part of such a big franchise?
Thiemann: It was exciting and crazy because I knew about this story and the world before it, so it was a crazy experience to see that with my own eyes. Since the movie was also shot partly in my country of Germany, an excellent opportunity presented itself to get cast.

Did you read the books before being cast? What did you do to prepare for your role of Livia?
We all mainly rewatched the movies, read the books, and got into that again. It's different because you already know about it, but I tried diving back into that world to understand the Capital and everything.

Did you feel any pressure to measure up to the previous films, or did it feel like a clean slate?
There was pressure because it was the first time I was part of a project that all the community and fans already knew and had [heavy] expectations. The main cast and all the crew had this pressure of, "We need to build something that everyone has already expectations on and wants to see." You don't want to mess up potentially in such a big project where there's a lot of work to do with many people. It's a different experience than when you shoot a completely new movie that can be promoted as such.

There are so many opportunities now with audiences in the streaming era. As audiences see you in 'The Hunger Games' and getting introduced to your fantasy series 'The Gryphon' for Prime Video, how has it been for your exposure expanding into the international market?
That's so cool because it's different, culturally and country-wise, how you see movies, what interests you, and when you're used to the German audience. It's different to hear international feedback and have a completely different perspective.

How do you compare the experience from one bestseller series like 'The Hunger Games' to another in the TV series 'The Gryphon?'
The two projects were different. 'The Hunger Games was such a big project with all these expectations, but also they had a small role [for me], but being like a part of this mass following and franchise? It is dramatically different. I don't know. Both projects were cool, and the people were so great. It was so crazy. 'The Hunger Games,' as I said before, is special because everyone already knows about it. So I also knew about it. I was there experiencing a world that I experienced on the page and screen before. It's special, and 'The Gryphon' was building a new world I didn't know before.

How do you compare the differences between American and German sets?
It always depends on the people that are working on the project. In general, I can say that German projects seem to feel more familiar to me. You also sometimes know some people already from the crew and the other actors. At the same time, American productions are new and big, and I don't see many people there and those working in the background, especially in Hollywood productions like 'The Hunger Games. There are so many people involved it feels more anonymous. There's this big weight of so many people creating art together, while in small and large German projects, it also feels more familiar. German is my mother tongue and home, so it is a different connection. Both are cool.

Are there any genres I hope to tackle in the future?
The most important thing is I want to be part of touching, emotionally touching stories or tell important stories to think about. This is what I like the most to create with. I find the whole fantasy genre to be cool, and I enjoy having the opportunity to play characters that I couldn't be in real life because I'm human. It would be cool to play some fantasy figures. In general, I am open to anything if the story is cool.

The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, which also stars Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Hunter Schafer, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Viola Davis, is available on digital and on-demand and on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, and DVD on February 13th.

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