Warning: The following article contains spoilers for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes introduces Lucy Gray Baird, the District 12 tribute in the 10th Hunger Games. Though she shares several similarities with The Hunger Games‘ Katniss Everdeen, she was born around 80 years before the Mockingjay was reaped for the 74th Hunger Games. This means that her history, family connections, and experience in Panem’s brutal Hunger Games were significantly different. Still, Lucy Gray’s stint in the arena had a massive impact on Katniss’ eventual story.
Lionsgate’s The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is based on the prequel novel of the same name by Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins and outlines the early days after the war between Panem’s government and the resource-providing Districts. The story is told from the perspective of a young Coriolanus Snow, who has been tasked with being among the first batch of mentors in the 10th Annual Hunger Games. The tribute he is assigned, the typically undesirable female from District 12, winds up being a unique girl named Lucy Gray Baird, and her participation in the Hunger Games would change the event and the future President Snow forever.
Lucy Gray Baird Is District 12’s Female Tribute In 10th Hunger Games
Lucy Gray Baird is a singer and songwriter and District 12’s female tribute for the 10th Hunger Games. Like Katniss, her reaping ceremony was out of the ordinary, but rather than volunteering to take a loved one’s place, Lucy Gray left her mark during the ceremony by attacking the mayor’s daughter, Mayfair Lipp. Mayfair had fallen in love with Lucy Gray’s old lover, Billy Toupe Clade, and had arranged for her rival to be selected for the Hunger Games. Knowing this, Lucy Gray secretly slipped a snake into Mayfair’s dress collar. The mayor’s daughter collapsed from the bite, and as she was rushed away for medical attention, Lucy Gray bravely performed a song for the audience while on stage.
This is Coriolanus “Coryo” Snow’s first impression of Lucy Gray, and as the 10th Hunger Games continued, he learned much more about her. A member of the traveling group of musicians called the Covey, Lucy Gray wasn’t originally from District 12. Her family had gotten stuck in the coal-mining district during the war and had been unable to return to their lives on the road ever since. This makes Lucy Gray different from those whose families had worked in the mines for generations. She is bright, flamboyant, charming, and sure of herself—characteristics the Capitol had long ago been squeezed out of the District citizens.
Lucy Gray’s Closest Relationships & Family Explained
Lucy Gray Baird was born a few years before the start of the District rebellion to an unnamed father and mother, who were both Covey. She had two older siblings, but when the Covey were forced to stay in District 12, her parents spoke out and were murdered by Peacekeepers. It’s unclear how Lucy Gray’s older siblings were killed, but by the start of Ballad and Songbirds and Snakes, she is the last surviving member of her immediate family. Of the Covey, only six are alive when Lucy Gray is reaped for the Hunger Games: Lucy Gray Baird, Maude Ivory Baird, Barb Azure Baird, Tam Amber, Clerk Carmine Clade, and Billy Taupe Clade.
Lucy Gray is well-loved in District 12 thanks to the Covey’s popularity. The group is frequently hired to perform their music at events, and they play most weekends at the Hob, where even Peacekeepers are known to enjoy the show. Of the Covey, Lucy Gray is closest to Maude Ivory, her younger cousin. The relationship here bears similarities to Katniss and Primrose Everdeen since Lucy Gray is fiercely protective of the little girl, who is defined by her sweetness. The District 12 tribute used to be in a love affair with fellow Covey Bill Taupe Clade, who left her for Mayfair Lipp and conspired to get her reaped for the Hunger Games.
Upon arriving at the Capitol, Lucy Gray develops a relationship with her mentor, Coriolanus Snow. She admires Coryo for the kindness he shows her leading up to the Games and appreciates that it is because of him that she survives the terrible event. After returning home, Lucy Gray is surprised but pleased to see that Coryo has been sent to District 12 for Peacekeeper training, and the two begin a secret affair. She performs several songs for her new love at the Hob, including the “Hanging Tree Song” from The Hunger Games, and when the future President Snow finds himself at the center of several murders, the pair plan to run away together.
Lucy Gray’s Strategy During The Hunger Games
Before the 10th Annual Hunger Games, the events were nothing like what was seen in the Hunger Games series. District tributes were simply thrown into an arena, starved and ill, and left to kill one another. There were no interviews, sponsors, or mentors, and the games were far from popular with Capitol citizens. This all changed during Lucy Gray’s Hunger Games, and this was partly thanks to her. Given the District 12 tribute’s charisma and talent, Snow believed the only way she could win was if the Capitol grew to love her and donated resources to keep her alive.
This led to the inception of the Hunger Games sponsor program. Coryo convinced the Head Gamemaker, Doctor Volumnia Gaul, that Capitol audiences would be more invested in the terrible games if they felt like they had a dog in the fight. They were eager to see more of Lucy Gray since her performance at the reaping ceremony, so Coryo arranged for the District interviews, got a hold of a guitar for his tribute, and allowed her to dazzle the world. It worked, and when Lucy Gray entered the arena, she had the Capitol citizens on her side.
Who Plays Lucy Gray Baird In Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes
Lucy Gray is played by actor Rachel Zegler in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. As a performer, the character requires an actor with a background in music, which makes West Side Story‘s Zegler a logical fit. What’s more, the actor resembles Hunger Games actor Jennifer Lawrence just enough to continue the theory that Katniss Everdeen is the descendent of Lucy Gray’s cousin, Maude Ivory. Still, aside from their singing ability, Lucy Gray and Katniss have little else in common, and the casting here emphasizes this.
Where Katniss was a reluctant hero who preferred to only use her voice to soothe her little sister, Lucy Gray knows how to use her vocal talent to manipulate her audience. She’s far from a timid songbird—she’s a beautiful snake luring in her prey before striking. Zegler communicates this perfectly with her stage presence, demonstrating a dangerous confidence that allows her to keep up with the likes of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes‘ Coriolanus Snow.
