In a clear example of why the opinion of ‘general audiences’ should be given very little weight in regards to creative endeavors, rather than recognizing such stellar performances as Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One or Keanu Reeves in John Wick 4, viewers of the 2024 People’s Choice Awards have chosen The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes star Rachel Zegler as their Action Movie Star of the Year.
RELATED RUMOR: Disney Moving To Trim Rachel Zegler’s ‘Snow White’ Screen Time With New Childhood Subplot
As announced on February 18th during the 49th entry of the annual fan award show, Zegler’s performance as Lucy Gray Baird in the Hunger Games prequel film led to audiences honoring her with the aforementioned accolade over not only Cruise and Reeves, but also Viola Davis (for The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes), Gal Gadot (for Heart of Stone), Brie Larson (for The Marvels), Jason Momoa (for Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom), Chris Pratt (for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3).
“Thank you,” said Zegler to kick off her acceptance speech. “I love movies, I love making them, and I am a fan of movies, and I’m surrounded by movie fans tonight, and movie fans who voted, and I am so thankful to everyone who’s ever bought a ticket and watched something that so many people have made. For so long in this business, I didn’t think I fit in, but tonight, you made me feel like I don’t have to change myself to be chosen, and I appreciate you so much. Thank you.”
“That being said, so many people made this movie,” she added. “I just want to thank Francis Lawrence, our director. Nina Jacobson, our producer. My A-camera operator, Dave Thompson, because everything that I did in heels, he did a couple steps behind me attached to a gigantic camera. I want to thank Tom Blythe, who is the best scene partner. I want to thank Josh Rivera who’s the best life partner, and my mom, my dad, and my sister, and Suzanne Collins for writing this character. Thank you so much.”
While Zegler’s win is as eye-rolling as it is head-scratching, it cannot be stressed enough that the People’s Choice Awards were decided upon based not on any actual, technical achievements, but rather the whims of those audiences who actually cared enough to go online and cast their vote.
As such, it’s easy to see how an actress whose fanbase is composed mostly of young women, a good amount if not a majority of whom likely know how to navigate the ins-and-outs of online voting and social media fan campaigns, could win any sort of action-related award over the man who threw himself down multiple flights of stairs for his final outing as his film’s title character (Reeves in John Wick 4) or the man who drove motorcycles off of a literal mountain to capture a shot (Cruise in Mission Impossible – Dead Reckoning: Part One).
However, regardless of the voting format by which she was recognized, nothing changes the fact that, as noted above, Zegler’s win stands as a stark example of why creative endeavors, whether they be movies, television shows, or video games, would do best to avoid making key production choices based on the whims of ‘mainstream audiences’ – particularly those whose attentions are tuned in to franchises rather than an appreciation of the medium itself.
As seen with such films as The Marvels and The Flash, when creative decisions are made with such vocal fanbases in mind, they more often than not end up proving off-putting to the majority of regular audiences who wish for their films to have more substance than IP key jingling, whether that be in the form of unnecessary cameos or eye-winks to the audience.
Rather, it is those films which treat its subject matter, medium of choice, and audiences with respect that end up proving to be not only financial successes, but cultural ones as well, as evidenced by the John Wick franchise.
As of writing, Zegler’s next big-budget Hollywood appearance, Disney’s Snow White, is currently in post-production ahead of its March 21st, 2025 release date.