Grace Reiter on making ‘The Hunger Games (but better)’ & ‘The Chair Company’ role | Viral Deep Dive
He needs to be Jacob. This is the only way he’ll see it. Be Jacob. Noah. Noah, please. Noah, come be Jacob. Like, do you like me, too? Cuz you didn’t really explicitly say it all. I don’t like anyone. PETA, we are going to die tomorrow, the games, the Hunger Games. Grace Ryder is the mastermind behind The Hunger Games, but better, the three-day birthday project that became a YouTube phenomenon. What began as Grace, her sister, and a close-knit group of friends creating in a Pennsylvania rental house is now closing in on 8 million views. While this is her latest hit, Grace has been building her world online for years. From a long string of viral videos to her breakout role on HBO’s The Chair Company, I sat down with her in studio to talk about the project that blew up, the resurgence of online parody, and how she’s turning internet comedy into something much bigger. This is a viral deep dive into Grace Rider. You had said that you’d been wanting to do something like this forever, specifically The Hunger Games. Why 24? Why did it feel like we’re going to do it now? I think it was like I was coming off of doing American High and so like I knew I had a group of friends that would be down to do it. Not to say my like friends growing up back home in Wisconsin wouldn’t want to do that. I’ve forced them to make like a horror movie that is now off the internet. So, don’t even try looking for it because it’s really bad. But I just mean like these people were just I knew they would be down to like do something like this which it was kind of it was a big ask. It was like we did two 12-hour days. Yeah. And but it didn’t feel like that cuz it was just truly just fun and we were all like improvising and goofing around. But I think it was just the timing where I was like, “Okay, if I don’t do it now, I probably won’t do it and we just have to plan it and then just tell everybody when it is and if you can make it, come.” And they were all down and they showed up. And they showed up. So, you released a cool little behind the scenes vlog that kind of explained the making of it. And I know you said a lot of people don’t care about that part, but I found that to be like so interesting about like you showing off your binders and your spreadsheets and your like presentations. I mean, because like I said, you watch this, it’s 42 minutes. Like you said, you filmed it over three days. My first thought is like how, you know, and because you said it was script was improvised. There was no script, you know, but you there was planning that went into this like so how long before were you like okay, we want to do this started like mood boarding. You made people watch the movie like what was the timeline up until before your birthday? I feel like it was on and off like from like around this time like I think it was just kind of like slowly starting. It was like just chipping away at, you know, bullet point things of like, okay, we have to get the house, we have the house, which made it easier to be like, okay, what are we going to shoot in each room, right? And then, and then it was pretty easy to plan from there of like, okay, we have the location now, where are we going to put all these scenes? And then, yeah, so I feel like I mean, maybe it was 6 months, but it was probably like could have been one month, but it was like stretched out. Obviously, you posted this. You said your goal was to hit at least a million views, you know, maybe, you know, hit it in three days. Yeah. You’re you’re nearing eight million views now. I know. What is it? What is it like? What’s it like to be like I was working on this fun project with all my closest friends doing something I’m like so passionate and like just had fun doing and to see it like be received by so many people. So, I mean, part of me like feels like it was a cheat code cuz like I mean, the Hunger Games is super famous. Yeah. Yeah. you know. So, I’m like, so I’m like I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know. Maybe like if anyone did a Hunger Games thing, like it would have been successful. But like I guess it just feels really good. I’m like a lot of people were like, “Oh, this feels like early 2012 YouTube.” Were you like a kid who was like into like watching parody content growing up like on YouTube? Like were were those like comedic influences? Like what was that for you like? I like I grew up in like in liter Yeah. in 2012 YouTube where it was like what is it Ducky of or Ducky of Awesome or whatever he was making like parodies all the time and then Minecraft parodies. Come on. Come on. Come on. Minecraft parodies. Like that was like my childhood and then also watching like Sims let’s plays and then like Smosh and like Shane Dawson and stuff. So like it was like the parody era like everyone was doing that. So, I think it was just makes a lot of sense that that’s then what I made when I finally posted something on YouTube. Yeah. Yeah. And I love what what’s been like your favorite like fan or not like viewer reaction response to it. Like is it the I’ve seen some fun fan edits, you know? I’ve seen the comments are amazing. Like what what’s what’s your favorite part of it? Well, I mean that that was the strategy of like releasing it. I was like, “Okay, we’ll release it and then I’ll make some edits.” And then everyone just made edits and I was like okay so I guess I don’t have to do that. I was like I’ll just repost these like thank god. I was like cuz um editing is hard. Yeah. Especially making the Tik Tok edits that all these kids are doing. I’m like okay you guys are very talented. It’s like an advanced degree. Yeah. I’m like this is like no joke. So like thank god they did that. So that’s my favorite part. Also obsessed with everyone quoting mom mom reaping going now. I was surprised by that. I was like okay I guess people like that. Ma ma ma rap re raping going now. And I actually ran into Rachel Ziggler like Yeah, I know. I Yeah, I actually ran into her and I was a little drunk and I was like, “Hey, just so you know, I was like, I’m making I’m remaking The Hunger Games for my birthday. Can you comment on it?” And I think she was probably like, “What the is she talking about?” She was probably like, “Sure.” I I literally was like and then I was talking to her and as I realized I was telling her this I was like oh my god I’m talking to Rachel Ziggler and I’m telling her to go comment. I said I realized it and I was like um just comment like yes queen slay boots trying to like deflect. I was like what the I’m like I’m asking her to like I was like just or like whatever. I was just like whatever. But I hope she saw it because I loved Ballad of Song Birds and Snakes. Can’t take my time. Can’t take my humor. You can take my will. I loved it. I really loved it and I’m so excited for the new one. You recently confirmed that for 25 Twilight is happening. Twilight is happening. Twilight is happening. Um, we’re we’re sitting with Bella right now. Soon to be soon to be Bella. Some people have called for Edward. A lot of people were like, well, who knows? Both. I mean, I we’re going to see we’re going to keep things open. We’re just at the beginning. And I see a little apple there. That’s sort of a sign you put that there because Twilight. Um, we’ll see. I don’t know. I’m going to be cheeky about it cuz it could be Edward or it could be Bella. I don’t know. Okay. You said you want this to be even bigger, even better than Hunger Games. What What do you think? How is that even possible? Well, I feel like one, the Twilight soundtrack is really iconic, so I feel like there’s an area where we can like have fun with that. And maybe it’s bringing in like artists or like making parodies of the song. I don’t know. But I think that’s the bigger thing. Or maybe just like maybe one more day. Maybe we shoot for four days. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So that’s I guess that’s what I mean by bigger is like we’ll do four days and maybe we’ll really get in there and maybe I mean the the Hunger Games but better was like 42 minutes so maybe we’ll do like an hour. Yeah. I guess that’s what I mean. Bigger better. And also maybe we expand the friend group. Maybe there’s some more people coming in. Okay, we see we got a lot of time. So, there’s a lot of time. You’ve been on TikTok since like you posted your first video in like 2018. Like you probably started like taking off like 2020 like pandemic era. I mean that’s like when I I remember you like making videos in your basement making videos at Ace Hardware, but I mean now you’re at 3.7 million followers on TikTok. like what when when was it for you like within your like internet career when you like hit that first viral video where you were like, “Oh, like this is something I want to like stick with and like pursue.” I feel like the goalpost is always moving cuz once I hit 1 million, I was like, “Yeah, but like all the really Tik Tok famous people have 3 million.” And now that I’m at 3 million, I’m like, “Yeah, but like all the really really famous Tik Tok people have 5 million.” So, I think the goalpost will always keep moving and I’ll always be like, “Yeah, but it’s just like whatever.” I think it really was like, “Oh, I can do this.” When I like got my manager in 2020 and then I started like auditioning for stuff, I was like, “Oh, I was like, I can be an actress.” I want to talk about the chair company cuz it is so funny. I don’t know if I should. I just I just I feel a little overwhelmed right now. Okay. I told you I can’t do left leg on yellow. Okay. Okay, my knee can’t handle it. Also, that experience was just so much fun. I just like was like saying this stuff, but like Sorry, I was acting. Sorry. I was uh I was acting a script, but like also I was like hanging out with everybody. Yeah. And also that was in between. That’s while I was filming The Hunger Games. I filmed like the first my first episode and then I went filmed the Hunger Games. Got Poison Ivy. I came back and then came back and filmed the rest of it. But no one got Poison Ivy on set. Good, good, good, good. I didn’t give I didn’t give anyone Poison Ivy. Did you have a favorite like onset memory from the chair company or like just getting to work with like that cast? Well, I like could walk everywhere. Like they filmed it in like Williamsburg. So I was like and I like walked to work and I was like, “Oh my god.” I was like, “I’m an actress in New York City walking to set and then we got to set and then that same day we went and got Sugarfish for lunch cuz it was a walking lunch and I was like, “What the is going on?” I was like I was like we were like we did it like ohas or whatever and we were like yes so just filming over here so we’re just going to get like a quick lunch and just like yeah just like give us the track cuz they have we have to get Yeah. I was like what the hell’s going on? I was like okay this is bougie as hell. I could get used to that. I could use that. Probably that. And and al of course my castmates love talking to them. Oh my god. I love talking to them at Sugarfish. I was like I was like wait we’re fancy as hell right now. You are. You made it. You made it. We’re at the top. It doesn’t go higher. It doesn’t go higher. I know. Am I going to look like an No. That I enjoyed eating lunch at Sugarfish. Sue me. Sue me. Sue me. I would have been just as happy at McDonald’s. What’s like a dream project or something that like you would want to do in like short term, long term? I feel like I like I want to make comedies and stuff and then eventually one day make like the next Dune. I want to make like the next Dune. I mean, it’s a it’s attainable. I think that’s fine. I think because I do love like the dystopian and like sci-fi. I’m like, “Yeah, no, let me do Dune. Let me let me have a crack at Dune.” Like, girl, have a crack at He’s done with this third one. I mean, there’s going to be an open space for it. So, I think Yeah. If you need Dune 4, get me in, guys. Tap me in. I’m really good. Would you ever do SNL? I I You probably hate Comedians like hate probably that question because I think it’s very polarizing. Like would you like it? Would you like want to do something like that? I feel like it’s Yes. Well, yes. I mean, yeah, but like I feel like there’s some comedians who are like, you know, as long as they let me do my parody movies in the summer. Yeah. If I if on the break I can do whatever I want and I can make my parody movies. We’ll have no problem. If Bowen can film Wicked on his off times, I think you can go Twilight up in Pennsylvania for a couple days. Yeah. For three days. Come on. But just put that in the writing, you know, in the ask when you sign the contract. Absolutely. She can do her parody movie and she can ask all the really famous people in it to be in it. Actually, wait here. I have a platform. Noah Beck. Noah Beck, if you can hear me, come be Jacob. Gag gag. You should watch his TB movie. It’s unironically one of my favorite things I’ve seen. Really? And he has debut. Yep. I’ve seen both. And you like you like it? Yes. Unironically, I’m so serious. And I’m so serious about him being Jacob. He needs to be Jacob. This is the only way he’ll see it. Be Jacob. Noah. Noah, please. Please, Noah, come be Jacob. He’s probably like, “Okay, Jesus Christ.” Cuz I’ve tagged him a couple times and it’s like a It’s like a bit that I’m like into him. I’m not I’m not I’m not like I’m not going to be weird. Like I’m going to be very professional and respectful, but you will have to be shirtless cuz Jacob. Yes. And Okay, whatever. We’ll put it out there. It’s out there in the world. I feel lighter. I feel lighter now asking Noah Beck to be Jacob. Well, and also Taylor Lner if you want to be in it. It’s fine. It’s fine. No can’t make it. Yeah. If Noah can’t make up, we’ll we’ll take Taylor Lner, I guess. Whatever. It’s fine. Sure.
Grace Reiter breaks down the making of “The Hunger Games (but better),” the three-day, 24th-birthday production with her friends that’s now closing in on eight million YouTube views. She shares how the project came together, the parody influences that shaped her growing up, and the surreal moment she ran into “The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” star Rachel Zegler while filming it. We also get into her role as Tara on HBO’s “The Chair Company,” where she plays a Twister-averse food photographer with a deep love of olives. And of course, she teases next year’s “Twilight” parody, with Noah Beck as her ideal Jacob, and the bigger projects she’d love to take on next; from SNL to manifesting her way into “Dune 4.” Watch the full video for the birthday chaos, behind-the-scenes stories, and Grace’s plans for what comes next.
Read more at https://pagesix.com/video/grace-reiter-talks-the-hunger-games-but-better-and-the-chair-company/
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