Former EastEnders star Kara Tointon has landed a role in the upcoming Hollywood blockbuster The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, leaving fans stunned by her transformation from her Walford days.
Tointon, who played Dawn Swann on the BBC soap from 2005 to 2009, will portray Willamae Abernathy, mother of Haymitch Abernathy, in the prequel film. The movie, set 24 years before the original Hunger Games, features a star-studded cast including Elle Fanning, Ralph Fiennes, and Kieran Culkin.
Fans were given a first look at the film this week with the release of a full-length trailer, in which Tointon's character appears briefly. Social media erupted with surprise, with one fan writing: 'Shaking at ar Dawn Swann in the new Hunger Games trailer...Hollywood Queen!' Another added: 'I knew it was her! Had to do a double take LOL.'
Tointon's departure from EastEnders was not without emotion. She previously told the Daily Star: 'I was heartbroken when they told me, and I have to admit I did cry.' Since leaving the soap, she has remained in demand, winning Strictly Come Dancing in 2010 and appearing in shows such as The Teacher and Too Good To Be True.
