- Mckenna Grace is set to play Maysilee Donner
- Grace has starred in the recent Ghostbusters movies
- She has been in various movies and TV shows since she was a child
The cast of the new Hunger Games movie is taking shape, with Mckenna Grace set to take the role of Maysilee Donner – but who is the American actress.
The much-anticipated Hunger Games prequel movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to add Grace as Donner, who is a fellow District 12 Tribute alongside Haymitch Abernathy, according to a report by Deadline.
The role of Donner is said to be the closest equivalent to that of Katniss from the original Hunger Games movies, which helped catapult Jennifer Lawrence to international stardom.
If this is confirmed, Grace will join Joseph Zada as Abernathy and Whitney Peak who will play Lenore Dove Baird, Abernathy’s girlfriend.
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping is set to be released on November 20, 2026.
But who is Mckenna Grace?
Ghostbusters success
Grace is currently probably best known for playing Phoebe Spengler, the precocious granddaughter of Egon Spengler, in Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) and Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (2024).
She received critical praise for her role.
One of her other standout roles was as abused teenager Esther Keyes in seasons four and five of Hulu series The Handmaid’s Tale from 2021-22. Her character was married to an older Commander.
Grace is also set to appear in Scream 7 – here is the cast explained – and Five Nights at Freddy’s 2.
Mckenna Grace – acting from early years
But Grace has been seen on the small and big screen since she was just eight years old. One of her earliest roles was as Jasmine in the Disney XD sitcom Crash & Bernstein (2012-14). She also appeared in soap opera The Young and the Restless between 2013 and 2015 as Faith Newman.
Her first real breakthrough came when she starred as Mary Adler in the movie Gifted alongside Chris Evans. This centred on the custody battle for young Mary between her uncle and grandmother. For this role, Grace was nominated for the Critics’ Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer.
Following this, Grace appeared in roles in a series of high-profile movies. This included playing the young Tonya Harding in I, Tonya (2017) as well as roles in The Haunting of Hill House (2018), Captain Marvel (2019) and Annabelle Comes Home (2019).
Music career
Alongside her acting career, Grace is also a singer. She released her debut single, Haunted House, in November 2021. Grace co-wrote the song with Lily Kincade. Haunted House, while not written for Ghostbusters: Afterlife, was included on the soundtrack.
Among other singles, Grace recorded Bark to the Beat for PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie soundtrack.
She has also appeared at music festival Lollapalooza.
