Rachel Zegler, Josh Andres Rivera Passed Notes on ‘Hunger Games’ Set

Rachel Zegler and Josh Andrés Rivera just proved they are relationship goals.

While filming The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes in 2022, Zegler, 22, and Rivera, 28, revealed they passed notes to each other. Rivera said the tradition of passing notes on set began when he was “doodling one day in my little academy notebook.”

“[Rachel] told me to draw her as a flower,” Rivera explained during a Friday, November 17, appearance on The Kelly Clarkson Show. “So, you know, I did this really crude drawing of a flower with a little smiley face on it and some legs, and just handed it to her.”

In a clip, Rivera is seen sliding the Shazam! Fury of the Gods actress a note. At first, Zegler is visibly touched by the gesture — she said she thought it was “something cute!” — but laughed after she opened the piece of paper.

“Afterwards, I got kinda into drawing. I feel like I got a lot better,” Rivera jokingly said, with Zegler adding, “He’s really harnessed his ability.” Rivera went on to bring out a drawing of a dog he made for Kelly Clarkson, which looked like it was done by a novice.

The pair previously confirmed their relationship in February 2021 when Zegler wrote to X, formerly known as Twitter: “I love Josh Andres Rivera.”

Josh Andres Rivera and Rachel Zegler. The Kelly Clarkson Show/YouTube

Zegler, who portrays Lucy Gray Baird in the Hunger Games prequel, told Clarkson, 41, that she initially turned down the role. Rivera, who plays Sejanus Plinth, recalled immediately calling Zegler once he was cast and telling her, “That thing that you were gonna do, I’m gonna do it.”

Ultimately, Zegler changed her mind, which she said she was “really glad” she did. “I’m pretty sure we ended up, like, officially saying yes on the same day too, ‘cause I remember that FaceTime call,” Zegler said.

This is not the first time that Zegler and Rivera have shared the screen. The pair met on the set of Steven Spielberg’s West Side Story, which began filming in the summer of 2019.

In March 2022, Zegler paid tribute to her boyfriend during her National Board of Review acceptance speech, where she won Best Actress.

“Thank you for holding my hand in my dreams and in my reality,” Zegler said. “I love doing life with you. Thanks for making me laugh.”

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes opened in theaters on November 17.