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Sumnima Kandangwa

Freelance Editorial Assistant for Style by SCMP


Australian actor Joseph Zada, 19, recently hit screens in Amazon Prime’s latest series We Were Liars, adapted from E. Lockhart’s 2014 novel of the same name.

The psychological thriller revolves around the wealthy and seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend their summers on a private island. The story unfolds as Cadence Sinclair Eastman, who has suffered a head injury, tries to piece together her memories with the help of her friend Gat Patil (played by Shubham Maheshwari) and two older cousins, Mirren Sinclair Sheffield (played by Esther McGregor) and Johnny Sinclair Dennis (played by Zada).

Zada has also been tapped to star in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping as a young Haymitch Abernathy, the character played by Woody Harrelson.
The film, set to premiere in 2026, has a stacked cast that includes Ralph Fiennes, Kieran Culkin, Glenn Close, Elle Fanning, Maya Hawke and Billy Porter. It will also be Zada’s biggest project since his debut in 2019.
Here’s everything you need to know about We Were Liars’ Joseph Zada.
He comes from a family of actors

Joseph Zada made his acting debut in the 2019 film Bilched alongside his older brother, Hal Cumpston. The comedy drama was directed by Zada’s father, the doctor-turned-actor Jeremy Cumpston, who is best known for his role on the Australian medical drama show All Saints.
Meanwhile, his mother, Jessica Brentnall, is a producer best known for the 2011 film Sleeping Beauty starring Emily Browning. She also worked on 2002’s Rabbit Proof Fence.
Catching the acting bug

Despite both parents being in the film industry, Zada was a huge Arsenal fan, and was fixated on the idea of being a professional footballer. He initially had no interest in acting, calling it “cringe”, but caught the bug after his father persuaded him to join in a local production of Romeo and Juliet. It took a while to find an agent, but one day a classmate’s mother saw Zada performing a short film he’d written for a virtual acting class on Zoom and vowed to take him on, per Vanity Fair.
Joining a huge franchise

According to a recent interview with Vanity Fair, the 19-year-old didn’t know he’d landed the role in the upcoming Hunger Games movie until he saw the news while scrolling on Instagram.
“I didn’t know it was confirmed,” Zada told the outlet. “I’ve been finding this stuff out through Instagram, and I’m the lead character. That’s ridiculous. Give me a heads-up!”
Despite Zada having snagged a lead role in We Were Liars and starring in Netflix’s upcoming series East of Eden, joining The Hunger Games franchise – which propelled actress Jennifer Lawrence to Hollywood stardom – is a whole new level of visibility.
“As long as I was acting, I was happy and I never really expected to get much attention for it. But I feel like my life kind of changed with [The Hunger Games] announcement. It’s a different world now. I’ve got to be a lot more careful about what I’m doing and saying, which is always a good thing. But it’s a little scary sometimes,” Zada told Vanity Fair.


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Fame and celebrity

Meet Joseph Zada, who plays Johnny Sinclair in We Were Liars: the Australian will also play a young version of Woody Harrelson’s character in The Hunger Games prequel – but got the news via Instagram

Joseph Zada planned to pursue a football career until he caught the acting bug. Photo: @josephzada/Instagram

Joseph Zada stars in the new psychological thriller We Were Liars. Photo: @josephzada/Instagram

Joseph Zada currently stars in Amazon Prime’s We Were Liars. Photo: @primevideo/Instagram

Joseph Zada comes from a family of actors – his father, Jeremy Cumpston, appeared in the Australian medical drama All Saints. Photo: @josephzada/Instagram

Joseph Zada wanted to play football before he caught the acting bug. Photo: @josephzada/Instagram

Joseph Zada found out about his role in the upcoming Hunger Games movie through Instagram. Photo: @josephzada/Instagram

Meet Jo Yu-ri, who plays Player 222 in Netflix’s Squid Game: the 23-year-old K-pop singer is a former member of Iz*One, and rose to fame after starring in the survival show, Produce 48

South Korean singer and actress Jo Yuri attends Netflix’s Squid Game season three premiere at The Plaza Hotel in New York, on June 18. Photo: AFP

Park Sung-hoon, Kang Ae-shim, Yim Si-wan, Jo Yu-ri, Lee Byung-hun, Hwang Dong-hyuk and Lee Jung-jae attend Netflix’s Squid Game Experience at Manhattan Mall on June 17, in New York City. Photo: Getty Images

Jo Yu-ri and the Iz*One members in April 2021. Photo: @official_izone/Instagram

Jo Yu-ri is set to release her mini-album Episode 25 on July 14. Photo: @zo__glasss/Instagram

Jo Yu-ri’s debut solo album was titled Glassy. Photo: @joyuri_offcl/Instagram

Jo Yu-ri participated in Mnet’s K-pop survival show Produce 48. Photo: Mnet/Produce 48

Jo Yu-ri dabbled in acting before starring in Squid Game. Photo: @playlist_studio/Instagram

Jo Yu-ri on the set of Squid Game. Photo: @zo__glasss/Instagram

Meet Danielle Campbell, who plays Peyton in The Waterfront: she dated One Direction’s Louis Tomlinson before meeting future fiancé Colin Woodell on The Originals set – but how was she discovered?

Meet Danielle Campbell (centre), who plays Peyton in the hit Netflix crime drama The Waterfront. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Danielle Campbell’s character Peyton is deeply devoted to her husband Cane, played by Jake Weary, in the new Netflix crime drama The Waterfront. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Danielle Campbell starred alongside Sterling Knight in the 2010 Disney TV movie Starstruck. Photo: @nicholas.kruger.7946/Instagram

Danielle Campbell (second from right) catching up with fellow alumni of The Originals in late 2022. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Danielle Campbell plays strong female characters in Tell Me a Story. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Danielle Campbell and Colin Woodell have been an item for more than seven years. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Danielle Campbell made her Broadway debut in Alice Childress’ Trouble in Mind. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Danielle Campbell (second from left) and her Trouble in Mind castmates at a curtain call, in early 2022. Photo: @thedaniellecampbell/Instagram

Meet Adults star Jack Innanen: the TikTokker is stealing hearts as Paul Baker, and earning fashion cred by working with Louis Vuitton, Ralph Lauren and Burberry – but he studied astrophysics at uni

Meet Jack Innanen, the viral TikTok star who plays Paul Baker in the FX sitcom Adults. Photo: @jackinnanen/Instagram

Jack Innanen stars as Paul Baker in the FX sitcom Adults. Photo: @jackinnanen/Instagram

Jack Innanen’s girlfriend Lauren Cantrell is also TikTok famous. Photo: @lauren.cantrell/Instagram

Jack Innanen (right) with his Adults castmates (from left) Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Owen Thiele and Amita Rao. Photo: @jackinnanen/Instagram

(From left) Malik Elassal, Lucy Freyer, Jack Innanen and Amita Rao in a scene from Adults. Photo: FX/TNS

Jack Innanen attended London Fashion Week in February wearing Burberry. Photo: @jackinnanen/Instagram

Who is actor Felix Mallard, aka Marcus on Ginny & Georgia? The Dior Beauty ambassador debuted at 15 in Neighbours, was chosen by Harry Styles to star in Happy Together, and acted alongside Isabela Merced

Meet Ginny & Georgia star –and Dior ambassador – Felix Mallard. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Marcus Baker in Ginny & Georgia is played by Felix Mallard. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Felix Mallard in a scene from Ginny & Georgia. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Felix Mallard photographed for Tings Magazine in 2023. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Felix Mallard playing the guitar in 2014. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Felix Mallard in 2019: before he ventured into acting, he wanted to be a graphic designer. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Felix Mallard, who plays Marcus in Ginny & Georgia, in 2021. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Felix Mallard as Marcus in season two alongside Antonia Gentry, who plays Ginny. Photo: @itsfelixwhat/Instagram

Meet Callie Cooke, who plays Jodie in F1: The Movie – the actress appears alongside Brad Pitt and Damson Idris, and rose to fame in her native UK on Cheaters and Doctor Who with Ncuti Gatwa

Meet English actress Callie Cooke, who appears alongside Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in the film F1: The Movie. Photo: AFP

Callie Cooke at the European premiere of F1, in London on June 23. Photo: Reuters

Callie Cooke, seen here repping Miu Miu, always wanted to be an actress. Photo: @callie_cooke/Instagram

Callie Cooke’s talent as an actress was evident to critics from her first role out of drama school. Photo: @callie_cooke/Instagram

Callie Cooke said working on the film F1 was “the most magical experience of my life”. Photo: @callie_cooke/Instagram

Callie Cooke plays Jodie, a pit-crew mechanic for the fictional team APXGP, in the film F1. Photo: @callie_cooke/Instagram

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With his mother, father and brother all in film, Zada was initially set on a football career, but he eventually succumbed to the acting bug, and is set to be Hollywood’s new favourite Aussie


With his mother, father and brother all in film, Zada was initially set on a football career, but he eventually succumbed to the acting bug, and is set to be Hollywood’s new favourite Aussie.
