In November 2026, Molly McCann will be seen playing Louella McCoy in the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which she is currently filming alongside a cast including Joseph Zara, Mckenna Grace, Ben Wang, Glenn Close and Jesse Plemons. It has been announced that Molly will be in the cast of the upcoming feature film The Butler, having filmed in the UK this summer with Jean Reno and Tom Hollander, and she has filmed for Feed for a future release. Molly has filmed episodes of Bad Sisters – Series 2 as Young Becka (Eve Hewson), The Hardacres as Nellie and The Boy That Never Was as Eliska, and she had recurring roles in The Vanishing Triangle as Young Lisa (India Mullen) and Maxine as Milly Farmer. Amongst Molly’s other projects, she worked alongside her on-screen parents John Cena and Alice Eve in the feature film Freelance playing Casey, played Alison in the 2022 film My Sailor, My Love, and filmed during the coronavirus pandemic with her real-life brother Aidan for the crime series The Holiday, in which she played Odette. Over the years, Molly has worked for Element Film projects Herself as Molly and Rosie as Madison Davis-Brady, played Young Lilly (Dakota Fanning) in Sweetness in the Belly, and was in the cast of Star Wars: Visions and Never Grow Old. Answering our questions, Molly told us about filming as Louella McCoy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, being announced for the upcoming film The Butler, her recurring roles in The Vanishing Triangle and Maxine and playing the younger version of Dakota Fanning’s character Lilly in Sweetness in the Belly.

How did you feel finding out you’d booked your role of Louella McCoy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping and you’d be joining a very popular franchise?

I originally watched The Hunger Games for the first time about three months before auditioning for it, so I was aware of what I was auditioning for at the time, but I don’t think I fully understood just how big the franchise was. When my agents told me I got the role, I was shocked at first but at the same time so excited, because I love the story and the character Louella.

What has it been like meeting the rest of the cast and how have you prepared for filming?

Meeting the whole cast has been truly amazing, we have the best time on and off set and being able to work alongside people like Joseph Zada, Mckenna Grace and Ben Wang is truly a blast. l love working with Glenn Close and Jesse Plemons too, they are wonderful to work with and learn from. The whole cast is brilliant. Also Francis (Lawrence), the director, is fantastic, he has a lovely sense of humour and so easy to talk to.

I definitely did my research before playing Louella. I think the book is an amazing source of information, I’ve never done a book adaptation before so to have the book has been really helpful.

What are you looking forward to for the release of The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping in November 2026?

I’m so excited for the movie to come out because I think people are really going to love it, especially its huge fanbase, and I’m really looking forward to watching the movie for the first time!

It has also been announced that you will be in the cast of the upcoming feature film The Butler, is there anything you can say about this?

I finished up on The Butler right before heading onto The Hunger Games. We filmed during the summer in the UK. It’s an action movie, so the stunts were good fun to do! I really enjoyed filming it and working alongside Jean Reno and Tom Hollander, they were super cool. For the majority of the shoot, we filmed in this huge old estate house in Surrey, which was beautiful, but I definitely think it was haunted! it was scary there at nighttime!

You had a guest role in an episode of Apple TV’s Bad Sisters – Series 2 last year as Young Becka (Eve Hewson), what was this like to film?

I filmed Bad Sisters at the Forty Foot in Dublin and it was cold! I had a great time with all the other younger versions of the sisters. I played Young Becka (Eve Hewson’s character). Dearbhla (Walsh), the director, is so amazing, she’s so much fun, I loved auditioning for her and working with her. As part of my scenes, I was accidentally pushed into the water, in my clothes, which was a bit scary! But there was a team of swimmers in the water, just out of shot, so that was good and made me more confident.

How was it filming an episode of The Hardacres as Nellie and The Boy That Never Was as Eliska?

The Hardacres was lovely to be a part of and I got to work with Irish director Kieron Walsh again, having worked with him on The Racer when I was a little younger. I had to sing in the scene, but I really enjoyed it as I love to sing, but rarely get the opportunity when filming. I’d love to do a movie musical!

Hannah Quinn directed The Boy That Never Was. Like Dearbhla Walsh and Laura Way, who directed me in The Holiday and Maxine, she is great to work with and such a lovely person. It’s so good to work with such talented Irish female directors. I had to speak Belarusian in this, which was crazy because I was speaking in a different language, that was a tricky language to learn. I wrote the whole thing out phonetically and this helped massively. I’m pretty sure I could still remember it if I tried 🙂

Can you tell us about playing the recurring roles of Young Lisa (India Mullen) in the TV series The Vanishing Triangle and Milly Farmer in the Channel 5 series Maxine?

As I mentioned, Laura Way directed Maxine. I didn’t know too much about this real-life story when I auditioned. I played the main reporter’s daughter. I thought Laura did a great job telling this awfully sad story.

The Vanishing Triangle was another difficult story to tell. I played Young Lisa, India Mullens was the main character Lisa, she is a lovely actress.

What was it like working alongside John Cena and Alice Eve as your on-screen parents Mason and Jenny Pettits and the rest of the cast of feature film Freelance, in which you were seen as Casey?

I had one of the best times in Colombia filming Freelance with John Cena and Alice Eve. It was an action comedy and I’d never really done one before. It’s always nice to travel to different places when filming and I’d love to go back to Colombia one day. John Cena was so generous with his time, he is a very kind person. I really enjoyed playing the role of Casey, she was such a feisty and fun character.

How was your time on set of the 2022 film My Sailor, My Love as Alison, which starred James Cosmo and Brid Brennan?

I really loved working on My Sailor, My Love, it was my first time playing the older sister (considering I was usually the younger one) so I was really excited to finally be on the older side of things. The shoot was amazing, we were filming on Achill Island, which is a beautiful place in Ireland. Working with James Cosmo and Brid Brennan was great, they are such lovely people.

How did you find the experience filming during the coronavirus pandemic for the crime series The Holiday as Odette and what was the show like to be part of?

I filmed The Holiday for six weeks during COVID in Malta. The production was a TV series and my brother Aidan was also cast in the show, so that was cool as we hadn’t worked together before. He would do magic for cast and crew between takes! I like playing card games while waiting to go on set.

Malta is a very beautiful place, it truly did feel like a holiday filming there, except for the COVID tests every day! Most of it was filmed in a villa with a pool! The cast were so lovely to be around, I’m still in touch with them. Laura Way was the director, I love working with her. Because of COVID, it was one of the first times I did a self-tape instead of going into the room to meet the casting team. I self-tape a lot for productions nowadays.

What are some of your stand-out memories from working with Element Films on their projects Herself as Molly (which saw you be nominated for Best Actress in a Supporting Role – Film at the 2021 Irish Film and Television Awards) and Rosie as Madison Davis-Brady?

Herself and Rosie are two of my favourite movies that I’ve done. I think they tell such important stories and Element Films did an amazing job showing these real-life struggles in such a beautiful way. Herself and Rosie had such good casts and I really enjoyed the process of filming both of these. Phyllida Lloyd directed Herself, she is brilliant! And I got to act alongside Harriet Walters and Claire Dunne – both terrific actresses. I was IFTA nominated for my role of Molly, but it was during COVID so the award ceremony was online! Both were shot in Dublin and if you haven’t seen them I highly recommend!

What do you remember most from playing Young Lilly (Dakota Fanning) in Sweetness in the Belly?

I was very young when we filmed Sweetness in the Belly in Ethiopia. I played a young Dakota Fanning and I remember it was super hot there! It was great being able to play a young Dakota Fanning because she’s so talented and lovely. Gavin Drea was my dad in this movie and Sophie Kennedy Clark my mum and they were brilliant to be around. I remember always having the best time with them.

Over your acting career so far, you have been involved with many other series and films including Star Wars: Visions as Keena, The Racer as Orla alongside Iain Glen, Vivarium as Molly with Imogen Potts, and Never Grow Old as Emma Tate – the daughter of Emile Hirsch’s character Patrick Tate, which you played at the age of six; can you tell us about some of them?

I was only six when I did my first film Never Grow Old, which was shot in Luxembourg. It was in November/December and I remember going to their Christmas markets, which were amazing! I learnt a huge amount on that set and it gave me a lot of confidence moving forward. I worked with the same production company, Ripple World Productions last year on their forthcoming horror Feed that we shot in Wexford. That was my first horror movie ever and it was very cool to work on!

Star Wars: Visions was really exciting to do as it was with Cartoon Saloon, who are fantastic, they made Song of the Sea, which I love. Voicing for animation is great, I love it and hope to do lots more.

How did you get into acting and was it always something you wanted to do professionally?

I got into acting for many reasons, my mom and dad are actors and my mom runs Brennan Academy of Performing Arts with her sisters. So from a very young age I was singing and dancing and acting. I have made so many good friends and gained so much confidence. I still attend classes and we do a theatre show every year in the Helix Theatre, which is one of the highlights of my year….. every year! But regardless of my parents acting and my brother acting, I’ve always loved performing and want to keep doing it as my job as I get older.

What are some of your favourite films and TV shows to watch?

I love comedies and just recently I’ve started to like thrillers and even light horrors, if they aren’t too scary! Some of my favourite movies would be Coraline, 10 Things I Hate About You and The Black Phone. I also like shows such as Modern Family, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Young Sheldon! I’ve only recently got into Black Mirror, where every episode is completely different! I love it!

What do you enjoy doing away from acting?

When I’m not acting, I love to dance and sing and do art, but especially dancing. I do competitive dancing with WTA, which is run by Katelyn Rose Downey‘s mum and her twin sister. Katelyn is a really good friend of mine, she is such a talented and genuine person. I love jazz, lyrical and commercial dance and I do really love musical theatre because it’s a mix of everything I like to do.

Have you been given any advice over your career so far that has stuck with you?

My mom and dad have always given me good advice. Always be polite, kind, generous, listen and don’t be afraid to ask questions, and lots of good acting on camera advice.

A director told me once how important the eyes are, they tell so much about what a character is feeling and thinking, I’ve always remembered that.

What are you hoping the next year brings for you, and do you have any further projects coming up that you can talk about?

I’m excited for 2026, I have three movies coming out – The Butler, Feed and The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, so I’m really looking forward to that. I’ll also be excited to see what projects come up in the New Year once I finish on The Hunger Games. I’m also very excited for my dance competition season with my friends in the New Year and my annual theatre stage show!

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