Skip to content

Top Navigation

EW.com EW.com
    • All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
    • All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
    • All Music
    • Music Reviews
    • All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
    • All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
    • All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
    • All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
    • All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
    • All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe

Explore EW.com

EW.com EW.com
  • Explore

    Explore

    • Hell-raisers: The Boys season 3 shakes up prestige TV with superhero debauchery

      Hell-raisers: The Boys season 3 shakes up prestige TV with superhero debauchery

      Just because they're Emmy nominated doesn't mean The Boys are pulling their punches. Here, the team dives into what might be "the most insane season of TV ever filmed." Read More
    • Your guide to 2022's biggest tours

      Your guide to 2022's biggest tours

      From Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny to the Red Hot Chili Peppers and the Weeknd, here are all the artists who can't wait to get on the road again. Read More
    • Ready for takeoff! We drank 3 rounds with the hotshot cast of Top Gun: Maverick

      Ready for takeoff! We drank 3 rounds with the hotshot cast of Top Gun: Maverick

      The actors playing the next generation of pilots in the action sequel felt the need for lots of cocktails. Read More
  • TV

    TV

    See All TV
    • TV Reviews
    • TV Reunions
    • Recaps
    • What to Watch
    • Animated
    • Comedy
    • Crime
    • Drama
    • Family
    • Horror
    • Reality
    • Sci-fi
    • Thriller
  • Movies

    Movies

    See All Movies
    • Movie Reviews
    • Trailers
    • Film Festivals
    • Movie Reunions
    • Movie Previews
  • Music

    Music

    See All Music
    • Music Reviews
  • What to Watch

    What to Watch

    See All What to Watch
    • What to Watch Podcast Episodes
    • TV Reviews
    • Movie Reviews
  • BINGE

    BINGE

    See All BINGE
    • EW's Binge Podcast Episodes
    • Recaps
    • Survivor
    • This is Us
    • RuPaul's Drag Race
    • Stranger Things
    • The Boys
    • The Blacklist
    • The Walking Dead
    • Better Call Saul
  • The Awardist

    The Awardist

    See All The Awardist
    • The Awardist Podcast Episodes
    • Oscars
    • Emmys
    • Golden Globes
    • SAG Awards
    • Grammys
    • Tony Awards
  • Books

    Books

    See All Books
    • Book Reviews
    • Author Interviews
  • Theater

    Theater

    See All Theater
    • Theater Reviews
  • Podcasts
  • Gaming
  • Events

    Events

    See All Events
    • Comic-Con
  • Celebrity
  • Streaming

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Account

  • Join Now
  • Email Preferences
  • Newsletter
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Movies
  3. Josh Hutcherson reflects on his biggest roles, from The Hunger Games to Future Man

Josh Hutcherson reflects on his biggest roles, from The Hunger Games to Future Man

Lynette Rice
By Lynette Rice May 19, 2020 at 04:13 PM EDT
Skip gallery slides
FB

1 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Role call

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Hulu

In less than 20 years of working in Hollywood, Josh Hutcherson has amassed an enviable resume of critically beloved films. Not bad for a 27-year-old guy from Kentucky who never went to acting school. "No one in my family was ever in this industry or anywhere near it, so I was the black sheep in the family," he tells EW. Here, the star of Hulu's Future Man (streaming now) looks back on an extraordinary career of playing sweet, brave, and (mostly) principled characters.

1 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Little Manhattan (2005)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: K.C. Bailey/20th Century Studios

Fans still like to chat up Hutcherson about this romantic comedy that marked a big milestone in his young life. "I had my first onscreen kiss in that film, my first kiss I had ever experienced in my life," he says. "And I did it on a film set in front of an entire crew of people! It was mortifying, if you can imagine."

2 of 10

3 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Digital Dimension/Columbia

Hutcherson played Tim Robbins' son in this high-concept comedy from director Jon Favreau. Though the experience was terrific, Hutcherson admits it was a hard sell for audiences who didn't quite understand the meaning of the title. "There was an episode of The Apprentice where their challenge was to figure out how to market the movie," he recalls. "One of the teams had a float going through New York saying 'Zathura, Zathura.' It was so strange."

3 of 10

Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

4 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

RV (2006)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Joe Lederer/Columbia

Robin Williams played Hutcherson's father in this delightful comedy about a vacationing family. "He was like the sweetest, funniest, caring guy. He couldn't help himself but to make people laugh. He treated everyone with so much respect and he treated me like family."

4 of 10

Advertisement

5 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Bridge to Terabithia (2007)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Kristy Griffin/Disney

Hutcherson's character befriends a lonely neighbor girl (a terrific AnnaSophia Robb), and together they create a fantasy world to cope with their real-life woes. "I have a lot of people, even to this day, tell me they cried so hard at that movie." That movie, like those before it, marked a special time in his childhood, Hutcherson admits. "I didn't go to school, I didn't have like a normal childhood. But what I gained from being on film sets was invaluable and extremely rare. I was very lucky to have to have all those experiences."

5 of 10

6 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Firehouse Dog (2007)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Bruce Macaulay/20th Century Studios

Hutcherson befriends a lovable mutt in this precious but predictable family movie that also starred Bruce Greenwood: "I was 13. I remember my team saying, 'You know, it's not the strongest in the world. It's about a boy and his dog.' I remember saying to my mom, 'Look, this movie has fire, skateboards, and dogs. I really want to do it!' My mom was like, 'Guys, he's 13 and he wants these things. I'm not going to tell him no.'"

6 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

7 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Kids Are All Right (2010)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Suzanne Tenner/Focus Features

It was the first mainstream movie to show a same-sex couple (played by Julianne Moore and Annette Bening) raising two teenagers. "We did one rehearsal of our family together and then we were shooting within a week," recalls Hutcherson. "It was a super-quick turnaround. But that one felt like I was a part of something that would actually make a difference."

7 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement

8 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Red Dawn (2012)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Everett Collection

This remake of the 1984 film allowed Hutcherson to work with the likes of Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Chris Hemsworth as they told the story of a group of young people who defend their hometown from a North Korean invasion. "We did three weeks of hardcore military training bootcamps," Hutcherson says. "Chris felt like a big brother. I mean, it was a bunch of young people running around and playing army men like you do when you're a kid. That taught me a lot about action and stunts… all these things that came into play when I did The Hunger Games."

8 of 10

Advertisement

9 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

The Hunger Games (2012-15)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Murray Close/Lionsgate

Playing Peeta Mellark in this behemoth franchise was a life-changing experience for Hutcherson. "It was like my college," he says. "That was like such a coming-of-age time for me. It was the first time I was away from my family, and on my own." Nothing, however, prepared him for the stardom that followed. "It was worlds apart from anything I have ever experienced. It's like a double-edged sword. Obviously the benefit of having more projects come your way is great. But when I set out to become an actor at 8, being famous and being recognized was not on my radar. I just wanted to make movies. That naiveté followed me until The Hunger Games slapped me in the face. It's hard for anybody to digest, especially being a kid from Kentucky. It made me realize the kind of actor I wanted to be. The idea of doing big, big projects that make you even more well-known doesn't sound as appetizing. If that opportunity came up again, I would have to think about it more."

9 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Continued on next slide.
Advertisement

10 of 10

FB
Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message

Future Man (2017-2020)

Josh Hutcherson
Credit: Erin Simkin/Hulu

Hutcherson plays a janitor who saves the world in this offbeat Hulu comedy. "I had always kind of not been interested in television," Hutcherson admits. "I had a very antiquated idea of it. I did The Disaster Artist with James Franco and Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. I only worked on it for like three days and it was my first time doing comedy in such an odd way. They reached out to me and said, 'Hey, we're making this show. We want you to be the lead.' I thought it was really weird, really funny. And I was like, okay, I've never done TV. I've never done comedy. What better group of people to take a swing at this? It was so fun."

10 of 10

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

  • By Lynette Rice @LynetteRice

    Share the Gallery

    Pinterest Facebook
    Trending Videos
    Advertisement
    Skip slide summaries

    Everything in This Slideshow

    Advertisement

    View All

    1 of 10 Role call
    2 of 10 Little Manhattan (2005)
    3 of 10 Zathura: A Space Adventure (2005)
    4 of 10 RV (2006)
    5 of 10 Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
    6 of 10 Firehouse Dog (2007)
    7 of 10 The Kids Are All Right (2010)
    8 of 10 Red Dawn (2012)
    9 of 10 The Hunger Games (2012-15)
    10 of 10 Future Man (2017-2020)

    Share & More

    Tweet Pinterest Email Send Text Message
    EW.com

    Magazines & More

    Learn More

    • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
    • Advertise this link opens in a new tab
    • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
    • Accolades this link opens in a new tab

    Connect

    Subscribe to Our Newsletter
    Meredith© Copyright 2022 Meredith Corporation. Entertainment Weekly is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation All Rights Reserved. Entertainment Weekly may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
    © Copyright EW.com. All rights reserved. Printed from https://ew.com

    View image

    Josh Hutcherson reflects on his biggest roles, from The Hunger Games to Future Man
    this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.