Rachel Zegler Says She Developed ‘Bond’ with Jennifer Lawrence Over “Hunger Games” (Exclusive)

Zegler spoke to PEOPLE at the London premiere of 'The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes'

Rachel Zegler is bonding with Jennifer Lawrence over The Hunger Games.

Speaking exclusively to PEOPLE at the London premiere of The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes, Zegler, 22, opened up about how appearing in the movie spinoff has brought her close to the Academy Award winner, 33.

“I had already filmed it when I had met her and we really just were able to bond over the fact that we know so many of the same people,” Zegler tells PEOPLE at the BFI IMAX on London's Southbank.

The actress added that until that moment Lawrence didn't realize they had so many mutual friends in the Hunger Games world, including director Francis Lawrence who filmed three of the movie's franchise sequels and returns to helm the latest installment.

“One of my good friends is Andrew Barth Feldman, who she just did No Hard Feelings with and, obviously, Francis Lawrence is obsessed with her," Zegler tells PEOPLE. "Everyone who worked on our movies came over from the original trilogy to work on ours.”

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Related: Rachel Zegler Honors Jennifer Lawrence's Hunger Games Character with Gown at Prequel's Berlin Premiere

While Lawrence played the role of protagonist Katniss Everdeen in the first four Hunger Games movies, Zegler portrays the role of Lucy Gray Baird. Set 64 years before the first 2012 Hunger Games movie, The Ballad of Songbirds And Snakes follows Baird after she’s selected as a tribute from District 12 and assigned a young Coriolanus Snow as her mentor for the 10th annual Hunger Games.

Speaking to PEOPLE about not meeting Lawrence before filming, Zegler says it "relieved the pressure and made us feel like we were able to do our own thing.”

"Though, if she had ever wanted to give me tips, I absolutely would have been open to hearing them," she jokes.

Related: Jennifer Lawrence Likely Won't Return to Hunger Games, Says Producer: 'I Think Her Story Is Complete'

Zegler also revealed to PEOPLE that she first went to see The Hunger Games over ten years ago in the movie theater with her mom and sister.

“The woman next to my sister had never read the books or seen the film before, and when the mutts came out, she started screaming, ‘What’s gonna happen next?,' ” says Zegler, who dressed to impress at Thursday’s event in a black Dior gown with sheer lace detail.

Sharing snaps of the premiere on her Instagram story, the actress posed alongside co-star and boyfriend Josh Rivera, as well as a closeup of her smokey eye makeup. The West Side Story star also shared a full-length picture of her outfit and a photo with co-stars, Hunter Schafer and Tom Blyth.

On Sunday, Zegler appeared to honor Lawrence's Hunger Games character at the Berlin premiere of The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes at Zoo Palast. The actress wore a sleeveless black Alexander McQueen gown with a fiery red mermaid tail, appearing to reference the moment Katniss Everdeen's dress bursts into flames, resulting in her being called “The Girl on Fire.”

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