Mckenna Grace Addresses Fan Shipping and Discusses Romance With Mason Thames

Actor Mckenna Grace recently captured widespread attention at a screening for "The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping," stepping out in a striking Cong Tri gown that paid direct homage to Katniss Everdeen's iconic fiery chariot dress. The 20-year-old star embraced the franchise's aesthetics with a halter-style illusion neckline, flame-shaped cutouts, and shimmering red and black embellishments that transitioned into a pleated accordion skirt.

Beyond her red carpet appearance, Grace has found herself at the center of online conversations regarding her chemistry with costar Joseph Zada. In the prequel film, Grace portrays Maysilee Donner while Zada plays young Haymitch Abernathy, leading some fans to "ship" the actors in real life. However, both costars have laughed off the speculation.

During interviews, Zada noted that Grace feels like family, jokingly calling her a younger sister before settling on describing them as twins. Grace echoed the sentiment, emphasizing that they view each other strictly in a platonic light.

"Joe’s like family," Grace stated, acknowledging the nature of online fandoms. "I think that’s like the fun of the internet, is that they can ship whatever characters or people or anything that they want as long it’s not intruding on people’s own lives."

Grace is currently in a relationship with her "Regretting You" costar Mason Thames, whom she began publicly dating around Valentine's Day. The actor has been open about her romance, expressing a desire to love loudly and noting that Thames frequently visited her on set during filming.

To prepare for entering such a massive and passionate fandom, Grace turned to original franchise star Josh Hutcherson for advice. Having worked alongside Hutcherson in "Five Nights at Freddy’s 2," she frequently sought his guidance regarding the intense pressures of the franchise's press tours and arena experiences.

While Grace and Zada remain amused by the fan pairings directed at them, they have also taken to proposing alternative ships among their fellow cast members. Grace playfully suggested potential pairings involving other members of the ensemble, showing that the cast is happy to lean into the lighter side of fandom culture.