Josh Hutcherson 'resented' Hunger Games fame
Josh Hutcherson "resented" his fame after The Hunger Games because he didn't like the scrutiny he faced.
Josh Hutcherson "resented" his fame after The Hunger Games.
The 33-year-old actor became a household name in 2012 when he played Peeta Mellark in the first of the blockbuster movies and while he was thankful he and co-stars Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth could lean on one another as they learned to navigate life in the spotlight, he didn't enjoy the attention.
Speaking to Hunger Games co-star Elizabeth Banks for Variety's Actors on Actors series, he said: "It was crazy. It was such a massive machine, and it was such a formative time of my life.
"We all went through so many changes together. We leaned on each other, hard-core. It was really intimidating.
"I’m from a small town in Kentucky. I started acting when I was a kid because I liked the idea of making movies. Fame was never on my radar — and then I was thrust into that world in such a big way. It was a lot.
"For a long time, I was resentful toward it, because I didn’t want that kind of attention.
"So I was chip-on-my-shoulder angry about it. With years of perspective, I have grown to appreciate it so much."
Josh views his time working on the franchise as his college days.
He said: "I was 19. I didn’t do college, so college for me was shooting those movies and growing up with them. It’s so long ago."
The I Love L.A. actor has been working since he was a child, but he never takes it for granted that there's another job on the way.
He said: "It is interesting, because this industry is wild. It’s so many ups and downs, and there is a feeling of uncertainty between jobs that feels infinite sometimes.
"I am always thinking, 'Well, it was a good run. I’ve been doing it for 24 years and I guess that’s it.' I don’t have a job lined up; I don’t know what’s going to happen.
"And so it can be very stressful, but then you get on set again and you’re like, 'Oh, OK, I’m home.' It feels right."
