Tom Blyth has paid tribute to his Hunger Games predecessor Donald Sutherland.
Donald's son Kiefer Sutherland shared the sad news earlier this week that his father had passed away at age 88 following a long illness.
One of the many tributes to his life and legacy came from Blyth, who followed in Sutherland's footsteps playing a younger version of President Coriolanus Snow in The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes.
In a sweet Instagram post, Blyth acknowledged that while he didn't know Sutherland personally, he felt honoured to share a connection with him in The Hunger Games.
"Donald Sutherland came about as close to mastering the craft of acting as anyone gets. So many genius performances," he wrote on Instagram.
"I never had the honor of knowing him personally, but it was the honor of a lifetime to follow in his footsteps. Thank you sir for birthing one of the great movie characters of all time."
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His heartfelt message received lots of love on social media, with his Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes co-star Rachel Zegler among those showing support.
Shortly after news broke of Sutherland's death, the official Hunger Games social media accounts posted their own memorial.
"We asked the kindest man in the world to portray the most corrupt, ruthless dictator we’ve ever seen. Such was the power and skill of Donald Sutherland’s acting that he created one more indelible character among many others that defined his legendary career," a statement read.
"We are privileged to have known and worked with him, and our thoughts are with his family."
Aside from his portrayal of President Snow, Sutherland memorably starred in M*A*S*H, Pride & Prejudice and The Italian Job on the big screen, as well as featuring on the small screen in The Undoing and Lawmen: Bass Reeves.
He has often been called one of the greatest actors to never receive an Oscar nomination, though he was given an Academy Honorary Award in 2017 for his contributions to the film industry.
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Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
