Atlanta Actress' Career is 'Catching Fire'

If you even remotely follow Atlanta entertainment news, then you know that since last month, "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" has been filming in the Atlanta area.

The first of the wildly popular Hunger Games trilogy of books was released in 2008 and has since been translated in 26 languages. The film “The Hunger Games” was released earlier this year and enjoyed massive worldwide box-office success.

“Catching Fire” is the second in the trilogy that follows the story of a young girl’s quest for survival in a post-apocalyptic world.

Midtown, Buckhead, the westside’s Goat Farm, the Georgia Dome, Atlanta Motor Speedway are just a few of the “Catching Fire” locations where filming has taken place. The film, which is expected to shoot until December, is scheduled to hit theatres on Nov. 22, 2013.

The Internet is flooded daily with news of the production. How injured is Liam Hemsworth? Was that really Josh Hutcherson hanging out at Atlantic Station?

Woody Harrelson was at Piedmont Park and not the Clermont Lounge?

It seems everyone wants the latest scoop on “Catching Fire,” but you won’t get it from Atlanta actress Megan Hayes. Not that she doesn’t have it, she’s just contractually not allowed to dish the dirt. Such is the deal when you’ve been cast as the "District 6 Tribute Girl" in the forthcoming film.  

“I feel so lucky, so blessed and honored to be a part of this project,” Hayes recently told Patch. “The books are great, the actors are top notch, it’s really a dream job.”

It’s the kind of acting gig that can really propel one’s career to the next level - not that success hasn’t already been achieved by the actress who resides on the westside of town and is managed by Houghton Talent.

Hayes grew up in Atlanta and graduated from The Galloway School, before taking flight to New York City. A graduate of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, Hayes has been acting and writing in the Atlanta area for the last decade.

Maybe you’ve seen her on HBO’s "Eastbound & Down" or Tyler Perry’s "Meet the Browns"? Or possibly in the countless theatre projects she’s been involved in such as Horizon Theatre’s annual "The Santaland Diaries" or the recent Essential Theatre-produced "Bat-Hamlet" at Actor's Express. Her resume, including “lots of commercials,” is extensive, so even if you didn’t know her, the chances are good you may have seen her.

And now she’s readying for the big screen in what promises to be a huge film. If you know anything about the books, then you know the District 6 Tribute Girl part isn’t exactly a glamorous one, albeit a heroic role. Think monkeys!

“I wish I could tell you more but I just can’t,” Hayes said, referring to the many non-disclosure contracts that she has signed. “What I can say is that it really hasn’t sunk in, but I feel humbled. I love being an actor. I love being a part of a project of such magnitude and can only hope that more opportunities like this will come down the road.”