Joseph Zada Biography
Joseph Zada is an up-and-coming Australian actor who’s been making waves on the international stage with his performances in We Were Liars, Invisible Boys, Total Control, and the highly anticipated The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Born Joseph Cumpston on July 21, 2005, in Sydney, New South Wales, he hails from a family deeply rooted in the Australian film and television scene.
Zada really broke through with his role as Johnny Sinclair Dennis in Prime Video’s We Were Liars. His big break came when he was cast as young Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, which is based on Suzanne Collins’ beloved novel.
His rise in the industry has been impressively swift. Even before landing the Hunger Games role, Zada had already made his mark in various Australian productions like Bilched, The Speedway Murders, Total Control, and Invisible Boys. Plus, he’s gearing up to portray Cal Trask in Netflix’s adaptation of East of Eden.
Joseph Zada Age
As of September 2026, Joseph Zada is 21 years old. He was born on July 21, 2005, in Sydney, Australia.
He was just 19 when he landed the role of young Haymitch, which was announced in 2025, and he celebrated his 20th birthday later that same year. By July 2026, he marked his 21st birthday.
Joseph Zada Education
Joseph Zada went to high school in Sydney but decided to leave before finishing his secondary education to chase his dream of acting.
In an interview featured in Vanity Fair, Zada shared that his school attendance had dropped significantly due to auditions and acting gigs. He ultimately made the tough decision to leave school in 2023 after being given an ultimatum regarding an audition.
Instead of taking the traditional university path, Zada honed his acting skills through hands-on experience, auditions, film projects, and a deep dive into the world of cinema.
He also gained informal film education at home, often watching movies with his father, Jeremy Cumpston, and spending hours discussing various scenes, performances, and filmmaking choices.
Joseph Zada Height
Joseph Zada’s height isn’t consistently reported across different sources.
IMDb lists him at 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters), while other online bios suggest he might be anywhere from 6 feet to 6 feet 1 inch. Given these discrepancies, it’s best to consider the 6’2″ figure as what IMDb claims rather than a confirmed measurement.
Joseph Zada Nationality
Joseph Zada is proudly Australian.
Born and raised in Sydney, New South Wales, he kicked off his acting career in Australian film and television before making his way into larger international projects.
While he goes by Joseph Zada professionally, his birth name is Joseph Cumpston, and he chose to adopt the family name “Zada” for his career.
Joseph Zada Ethnicity
Joseph Zada has a rich heritage, with Afghan and Aboriginal roots stemming from his paternal great-grandmother, who was of Barkandji descent. His Indigenous ancestry is an important part of his broader Australian family background.
His family history stands out, especially since his father, Jeremy Cumpston, hails from Darwin and has deep ties to remote Aboriginal communities through his lineage.
Joseph Zada Family
Joseph Zada hails from a family deeply rooted in the world of acting and filmmaking.
His older half-brother, Hal Cumpston, is also in the acting game, known for his roles in popular shows like The Walking Dead and Nine Perfect Strangers. Joseph made his film debut in Bilched, a 2019 comedy-drama that was directed by his dad and featured Hal as well.
As one of several siblings, Zada describes his family as tight-knit. Growing up surrounded by the film industry meant that conversations about acting and movies were a regular part of his life.
The COVID-19 pandemic sparked an even greater interest in filmmaking for him. He ended up writing a short film that he and his then-girlfriend could use for her virtual acting class. Interestingly, a classmate’s mom caught a glimpse of him during a Zoom call and became intrigued enough to want to represent him as an actor.
Joseph Zada Girlfriend
Joseph Zada tends to keep his romantic life under wraps, making it a bit of a mystery.
Recently, there have been whispers in the entertainment world linking him to Polly Talarico. However, Zada hasn’t really opened up about this relationship in any major interviews, so we can’t say for sure what’s going on. Most of the buzz comes from social media and what fans have noticed.
In the past, Vanity Fair mentioned that Zada had a girlfriend during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they didn’t reveal her name. This girlfriend played a role in a virtual acting class project that ultimately caught the eye of an agent for Zada.
So, for now, it’s best to refer to Polly Talarico as his rumored girlfriend, rather than claiming they are definitely dating.
Joseph Zada Movies and TV Shows
Joseph Zada’s acting credits include both Australian productions and major international adaptations.
Bilched
The Speedway Murders
Total Control
Invisible Boys
We Were Liars
East of Eden
The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping
Joseph Zada in We Were Liars
Joseph Zada takes on the role of Johnny Sinclair Dennis in Prime Video’s We Were Liars.
This series, adapted from E. Lockhart’s bestselling young-adult novel, dives into the lives of the affluent Sinclair family and the tangled web of their relationships during summers spent on a private island.
Zada’s character, Johnny, is part of the younger generation of the Sinclair clan. He shares the screen with talents like Emily Alyn Lind, Esther McGregor, and Shubham Maheshwari. The show made its debut on Prime Video in June 2025.
This role marked a significant milestone for Zada, as it opened the door to a much larger international audience through streaming.
Interestingly, while he was filming We Were Liars in Halifax, Zada got his hands on the script for East of Eden, which turned out to be another fantastic opportunity in his swiftly growing career.
Joseph Zada in The Hunger Games
Joseph Zada’s most prominent role so far is Haymitch Abernathy in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
This film is based on Suzanne Collins’ 2025 novel, which delves into the backstory of a young Haymitch before the events of the original Hunger Games series.
Zada was officially cast in April 2025 after a thorough international casting search. He stars alongside Whitney Peak, who portrays Lenore Dove Baird, Haymitch’s love interest.
The movie is set to hit theaters on November 20, 2026.
Joseph Zada as Haymitch
Joseph Zada steps into the shoes of a younger Haymitch Abernathy, a role that Woody Harrelson famously brought to life in the original Hunger Games films.
Before landing this part, Zada was already a big fan of the franchise. He fondly recalls watching the original movies with his siblings and even staging his own homemade versions of the Hunger Games when he was a kid.
Taking on a character that’s so closely tied to Harrelson was no small feat. Zada has opened up about the pressure he felt in portraying a younger version of such an iconic character, as well as the rigorous audition process he had to navigate.
In a 2025 interview, he shared that the casting team really put him through his paces, emphasizing just how significant this role was.
Sunrise on the Reaping follows Haymitch as a teenager during the 50th Hunger Games, also known as the Second Quarter Quell.
Joseph Zada Acting Career
Joseph Zada’s path to becoming an actor was a bit of a surprise.
As a teenager, he was more focused on football than the stage. However, his father nudged him to take a shot at Romeo and Juliet, and that experience really opened his eyes to acting.
Zada made his first significant screen appearance in the 2019 film Bilched, which was directed by his dad and also starred his brother Hal.
He went on to feature in The Speedway Murders and Total Control, but it was his leading role in Invisible Boys that really got people talking. His casting in We Were Liars brought him into the spotlight of an international streaming audience.
His career took off even more when he landed the role of Cal Trask in Netflix’s East of Eden, followed by his selection to portray Haymitch in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.
What is Joseph Zada’s Net Worth?
Joseph Zada’s net worth isn’t something that’s been officially confirmed. However, various online sources suggest it might be somewhere between $500,000 and $1 million, though it’s important to note that these numbers are just educated guesses.
