Taking on Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games: On Stage, Vinnie Copeland found the character’s greatest strength in what he refuses to give up. Surrounded by the violence of the Games and the pressure of the Capitol, Peeta continues to choose kindness and empathy without being untouched by anger, fear, or frustration. For Copeland, that tension between what Peeta shows and what he carries underneath has become one of the most exciting parts of bringing him to the stage.
In the interview, Copeland discusses honoring the relationship fans have built with Peeta over the years without recreating previous interpretations, developing Katniss and Peeta’s connection with Elizabeth Anderson, and exploring the conflict between genuine emotion and public performance. He also explains how the theatre itself, designed with the feeling of an arena, heightens the sense of being watched and raises the stakes of every performance. “He won’t change who he is to survive the Games or to cower to the Capitol.”
Peeta is often remembered for his kindness and empathy, yet those qualities exist within an extremely violent world. What draws you to playing someone whose strength is not always expressed through aggression?
I really respect the character as he won’t change who he is to survive the games or to cower to the Capitol. He remains kind and empathetic, whilst feeling all the anger everyone else does. Finding this balance has been really exciting for me as an actor; I get to play with what is on display and what is underneath the character.
One fascinating part of Peeta is his awareness of image, narrative, and how the tributes are perceived. How do you approach the difference between what he genuinely feels and what he sometimes needs to present publicly?
This is hard for Peeta, as what he does to push narrative and gain Capitol adoration comes from a very true place for him. I have to let this truth come from a very pure place in scenes with Katniss. And then from a very cocky and performative place in the interviews. What’s most interesting is his inner conflict with this in the in-between scenes.
Many fans will arrive at the theatre carrying an emotional relationship with Peeta that has lasted for years. Does that create pressure, or do you try to put those expectations aside in rehearsal and discover the character for yourself?
I feel it’s important to understand fans’ expectations for the character, as there are key characteristics that make Peeta who he is. Having read the books and watched the films, I too have a love and respect for the character, which I’d like to honour. However, I try to steer away from that headspace slightly in order to be more free in my personal delve into the character and to allow the character to live truthfully through me.
Peeta and Katniss’s relationship blends affection, survival, strategy, and feelings that are not always easy to define. How are you and Elizabeth Anderson working to make that connection feel spontaneous on stage despite the extraordinary circumstances surrounding them?
Elizabeth and I have been very lucky that we immediately felt relaxed and free to explore when working together, which is down to the wonderful creative team we have. I think a key aspect of the spontaneity in their relationship is really delving into how heightened the characters’ emotions are at all times, especially during The Games. It’s not like any other love story; they both are so angry, confused, and primal during the games so that the loving moments that they share together really bring back a sense of humanity, taking our and the audience’s headspace out of the barbaric nature of the games and instead creating joy in seeing loving feelings.
In live theatre, you cannot rely on editing or multiple takes to build an emotional moment. What does the stage allow you to reveal about Peeta that may take on a different energy when experienced with an audience in real time?
What makes this very exciting is the fact that the theatre’s layout itself resembles an arena, so you really do feel like you are being watched as the characters do. Even further, every audience is going to be extremely different and give off different energies that we as actors can take and bounce off of; I can’t wait to see how this affects my performance every time.
The adrenaline you get from knowing you cannot just stop and go again raises stakes during the story for me massively, as it really elevates the do-or-die feeling that the characters themselves are feeling, allowing us to perform with real authenticity.
Peeta also repeatedly confronts the question of preserving who he is while a larger system attempts to turn him into something else. Has that struggle to hold onto his identity become an important part of the way you are building him?
I find that this is very key to the way I am building the character, as it creates so much internal tension that you can see in the body language and the eyes of the character. Which, as an actor, is extremely exciting to play and live in.
After spending so much time with Peeta in rehearsal, what part of him do you hope audiences appreciate beyond the love story through which many people first came to know him?
I hope audiences really appreciate how his relationship with his mum and dad has shaped him into the person he is today, as that has been integral for me when exploring the character. He has a past and has his own experiences despite it being Katniss’s story.
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