Meet Patina Miller, the Broadway Star Behind 'The Hunger Games' Rebellion Leader

Patina Miller as Commander Paylor in ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2′ (Lionsgate)

In The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 2, a character who was introduced in Part 1 steps up to become a key player in Panem’s military and political landscape. No, we’re not talking about Alma Coin, played by Julianne Moore; we’re talking about Commander Paylor, played by Patina Miller. Paylor appeared briefly in the previous film as a hero of District 8, running a hospital and valiantly trying to defend it from the Capitol’s bombs. In Part 2, Paylor is on the front lines of the rebellion, planning the invasion of the Capitol, and — it’s eventually revealed — playing a crucial role in Panem’s future. Patina Miller makes a big impression in this small-but-crucial role, so audiences may be surprised to learn that the Mockingjay movies mark her film debut. Where did this actress, with her sonorous speaking voice and commanding presence, come from? The answer is Broadway.

Related: About That ‘Hunger Games’ Ending: Mockingjays Need Love Too (Spoilers!)

Patina Miller on the red carpet for the LA premiere of ‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2′ (via Instagram)

Miller, 31, became a big name in the theater scene in 2013, when she won the Tony Award for her role as the Leading Player — a slinky, seductive storyteller with a hidden agenda — in the musical Pippin. The role was originated in 1972 by Ben Vereen and requires two-and-a-half hours of nearly nonstop singing and dancing (plus, in the recent Broadway revival, trapeze stunts). Watch a few minutes of Miller’s flawless Pippin performance in a clip from The Late Show With David Letterman, below.

Prior to Pippin, Miller starred in the 2011 Broadway production of Sister Act as Delores Van Cartier, the role played by Whoopi Goldberg in the film. She’s been getting the attention of film producers for a while; in 2011, Aretha Franklin announced that she wanted Miller to play her in a biopic and there’s a rumor that Miller was a finalist for the role of Effie White (which won Jennifer Hudson an Oscar) in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. In addition to her Mockingjay role, Miller can currently be seen as Téa Leoni’s press coordinator on the CBS series Madam Secretary. We’re not sure what films are in Miller’s future, but now that she’s established her screen cred, we hope to see her in the Weinstein Company’s long-awaited Pippin movie.