How 'The Hunger Games' prequel made a character look like he had rabies

• Warning: There are spoilers ahead for "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes."
• District 12 tribute Jessup Diggs (Nick Benson) contracts rabies during the games.

In "The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes," Jessup Diggs (Nick Benson) contracts rabies after a nasty rat bite to the neck.

When the virus takes hold, the District 12 tribute starts foaming at the mouth, chasing after his fellow tribute Lucy Gray Baird (Rachel Zegler).

Though it may look like special effects, Benson told Business Insider on the red carpet in Los Angeles that he was given a fun concoction to make the scenes realistic.

"It was like a mixture — liquid and then some powder that tastes like sour candy," Benson said, saying it was like "sour crystals" in his mouth. "When you put it in your mouth, it's activated by the liquid."

Benson said juggling the mixture with his performance was a little tricky at times.

"It was very interesting because I had to figure out how much to spit out and how to talk at the same time," Benson said.

A fan of the series, Benson said he was about to head to the airport when he received a call from his manager telling him he landed the role in the prequel, which follows Coriolanus Snow's rise to power.

"I went downstairs and told my parents," Benson said. "They were jumping up and down. It was quite incredible."

"I was waiting for a week since my callback," Benson said of the auditioning process. "The whole time I was on the plane, I couldn't speak. I was very much so in awe, especially because I'm a fan."

"The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" is in theaters now. You can read our review here.