Rachel Zegler Reveals Special Meaning Behind Her ‘Hunger Games’ Premiere Dress (Exclusive)

Rachel Zegler is bringing the world of The Hunger Games to life with her stunning sartorial selection.

The 22-year-old star walked the black carpet at the Metrograph cinema in New York City on Wednesday, for a special screening of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, where she shined in a cobalt dress with some particularly meaningful accessories.

Zegler spoke with ET at the event and detailed exactly why her outfit for the occasion was particularly meaningful.

“Tonight we are the book! We’ve got songbirds and we’ve got a snake here,” Zegler said, showing off a bejeweled songbird-shaped hairclip holding up her long locks, and a snake-shaped necklace.

“We’re also just channeling the mockingjay. We are wearing blue for the mockingjay,” she added with a smile. “Final carpet, final premiere, it’s very nice, it’s very exciting.”

As for Wednesday’s special event in the Big Apple, Zegler was joined by some important people in her life.

“My mom, my dad, and my sister are here, which I find very exciting to share these moments with them,” she shared. “And it’s awesome to be back with our whole cast and crew and so many people.”

She also shared the carpet with her boyfriend — and co-star — Josh Andrés Rivera, whom Zegler showered with love and praise.

“He knew me before all of this happened for me and he’s loved me through all of my pretty and not-so-pretty moments,” she said with a laugh. “And to him, I am grateful for everything.”

In The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes — which is set 64 years before the original Hunger Games film — a young Coriolanus Snow (Tom Blyth) is the last hope for his failing lineage, which has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. He is assigned to be a mentor to Lucy Gray Baird (Zegler), a tribute from the impoverished District 12, in the 10th Hunger Games.

When her charm captivates the audience of Panem, Snow sees an opportunity to shift their fates and the pair unites to turn the odds in their favor. As Snow battles his instincts for good and evil, he sets out on a race against time to survive and reveal if he will ultimately become a songbird or a snake.

However, they will face the villainous machinations of the serpent-loving Head Gamemaster Volumnia Gaul (Viola Davis) and the powerful forces who look to maintain the power and fear of the games.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes hits theaters Nov. 17. 

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