The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has cast its Lenore Dove Baird with actress Whitney Peak! Set 24 years before we were introduced to Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), we’re going back in time to Haymitch Abernathy’s (Woody Harrelson) teen years and experience during the 50th Hunger Games. Since part of Haymitch’s life in District 12 was being with his true love, Lenore Dove, Whitney is expected to have quite a bit of screen time alongside Joseph Zada, who was cast to play the 16-year-old version of Haymitch.
While we anxiously await for Sunrise on the Reaping to hit theaters, Hollywood Life has rounded up five facts to know about Whitney below.
Whitney Peak’s Age
Whitney is 23 years old as of April 2026. She was born in January 2003.
Whitney Peak Is Friends With Sabrina Carpenter
Sabrina Carpenter‘s orbit includes quite a few recognizable names, from Joey King to Taylor Zakhar Perez, and Whitney is part of the friend group. According to the actress’ Instagram, she has shared photos with the “Espresso” hitmaker, and she made an appearance in her “Nonsense” music video. Whitney also made sure to support Sabrina during her Short n’ Sweet Tour.
According to J-14, Whitney has been lifelong friends with one of Sabrina’s other pals Paloma Sandoval. Whitney and Paloma have shared several Instagram pictures together as well.
Whitney Is From Uganda
Though she now lives in New York City and was raised in Canada, Whitney was born in Uganda. She spoke with Mastermind magazine in late 2024 about her memories from Uganda.
“Discipline is implemented in a very different way there,” Whitney explained. “I went to boarding school from the age of six until I moved to Vancouver, so it was all quite strict. You had uniforms, even for Saturday and Sunday. You had to get up at the crack of dawn, and our parents would come visit on the weekends. And it’s a very tough love: people will tell you what they think, especially families. There’s quite an expectation set for the women in the family, and my older siblings practically had to raise me because my mother, as a solo parent, had to be out doing whatever she needed to be doing. So, my oldest sister took care of us.”
Whitney Starred in the Gossip Girl Revival
If you recognize Whitney from somewhere, that’s because she’s best known for playing Zoya Lott in the HBO revival series of Gossip Girl from 2021 to 2023. Though the series was canceled, Whitney still found success in starring in a Chanel campaign and appearing in Hocus Pocus 2.
Whitney previously discussed her time working on Gossip Girl during her 2024 Mastermind interview. Admitting that she was “excited and nervous about how the public would perceive it,” the actress and model pointed out that she thought the show would “probably be a one-off job.”
“So, I was happy that we got two seasons out of it,” she acknowledged. “I don’t really have any bad memories or experiences with the show. I had a great time. There were obviously things that could have been better executed on the show, in the big picture, making everybody feel like they belonged. I’m not going to speak for anybody, but I think there were little things here and there that happened while shooting the show that … yeah. Anyway, I had a good time on the show, and when problems were expressed, they tried their best to figure it out.”
Whitney Is Playing Lenore Dove in Sunrise on the Reaping
Whitney will be playing the role of Lenore Dove Baird in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Lenore Dove is Haymitch’s girlfriend. As most book fans have learned, the reason Haymitch wound up in the 50th Hunger Games was because he saved Lenore Dove from being chosen in a last-minute scuffle with peacekeepers.
Without divulging spoilers from the book, fans know one thing is true— the odds are unfortunately not in Haymitch and Lenore Dove’s favor.
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