Who is Tom Blyth? Meet Young Coriolanus Snow From 'The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes'

The newest installment in the Hunger Games movie series, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, is set to hit theaters on November 17. In this prequel to the original Hunger Games movie, director Francis Lawrence brings to life the young version of Coriolanus Snow.

Audiences watch the making of this villain, played by the up-and-coming star Tom Blyth. Critics have already started raving about Blyth's performance as Coriolanus Snow alongside other stars like Rachel Zegler, Viola Davis, and Hunter Schafer. Before the hype gets too overwhelming, here is everything you need to know about the rising star. 

Blyth grew up in suburban England with his mom, dad, and sister. His dad, Gavin Blyth, worked as a producer for the British soap operas Coronation Street and Emmerdale but had a background in photojournalism like many of his other family members. At age 11, Blyth's parents divorced and he moved with his mother and sister, leaving his father behind. He rebelled by going mute which consequently led his mother to sign him up for acting classes. He would eventually join Nottingham’s Television Workshop, a renowned program.

But things changed when Blyth turned 15. That year, his father passed due to Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. When he returned a few months later, his teacher encouraged him to use his grief to fuel his acting. "His bluntness was mortifying, but thankfully I saw that my grief wasn’t something to hide away but to channel as an actor," Blyth said in The Wall Street Journal.

After spending his childhood and college years in England, Blyth decided to pursue acting full-time and follow his newly developed dream to attend the prestigious Julliard. Blyth's father always told him that he would not be a nepotism actor because his father refused to give Blyth any leg up, so Blyth began perfecting his craft on his own. "While you're in it, I don't know that you fully appreciate all the things you're absorbing and getting because you're so tired," he said in an interview with SAG-AFTRA in 2022.

Blyth has acted in a small number of projects but has excelled in many of these roles. He first entered the acting scene playing the role of a "feral child" for the 2010 movie Robin Hood. He then moved on to act in several short films, including Fibs, Fluffy, and Wash Club while attending Julliard. After graduation, Blyth took on a small role in Benediction, a drama set during World War 1.

But the role that truly changed the trajectory of his career came during the pandemic. Living in upstate New York, attempting to put food on the table while escaping the NYC rent surge, Blyth auditioned for a role in Billy the Kid, a Western limited series. Amid the panic of the times, he booked his first lead role that catapulted him into the big leagues, with critics raving about his performance and technical acting skills. 

In the newest chapter of Blyth's career, he joins the highly anticipated The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes cast. In a number of interviews, Blyth cites the original Hunger Games series as influential in his life. "I grew up with them," he said in an interview with Filmtopp. He recalls going to the movie theater as a child to see these movies and feels the prequel upholds the ethos of the originals. The movie tackles political and social commentary in a manner digestible to young adult audiences. Blyth feels that is essential. "Yes, we're making a piece of great entertainment, but it has some meaning to it," he said.