INTERVIEW: Josh Hutcherson

Josh Hutcherson

Look who's all grown up! Actor Josh Hutcherson has transformed from the cute yet troubled Jesse in 'Bridge to Tarabithia' into an A-list star and total hottie! He recently landed the plum role of Peeta in 'The Hunger Games' and a great GF-Vanessa Hudgens. Get to know Josh Hutcherson.

Name: Joshua Ryan Hutcherson
Birthday: October 12th, 1992
Hometown: Union, Kentucky
Height: 5'7
Favorite TV Show: 'Family Guy'
Favorite Movie: 'Fast and Furious'
Favorite Sports Team: Cincinnati Bengals
Favorite Actor: Jake Gyllenhaal
Celebrity Crush: Zoe Saldana

When did you start acting?
Josh: I had to beg and beg my parents since I was 3 or 4 years old, and they said, "Why not play sports?" They heard all this negative stuff about Hollywood and being an actor. Finally, they opened the Yellow Pages and we met with an acting coach, and to this day, I have never had an acting class in my life. They tried me out there and suggested I go to pilot season in Los Angeles. I was so excited and begged and begged and begged, and so they took me out for one pilot season. I got a pilot, and things took off from there and never stopped.

What would people be most surprised to learn about being an actor?
Josh: It's not all glamour. I learned that right away. I thought getting into acting would be a breeze, and nice and easy. I thought, "How hard could it be?" I've done 11 movies now [as of 2007], and I've learned that every single character has different challenges. On set, it's not all fun and games. I have to do school and work long hours on set, as well. All that stuff kind of combines together. It's not as easy as it seems. That was the biggest shocker to me.

What has being an actor taught you?
Josh: I've learned a lot throughout the years that I've worked with all these great actors and everything. One of the biggest things I've learned on every shoot is patience. It takes so much patience to be an actor. There will be days when you'll come in at 6 in the morning, and you'll sit around all day long and maybe only do one shot. You just have to bear with them. You just have to keep your head on straight during that time. You can't get lazy or tired. You have to really make sure that you stay in character, even when you have those long days.

How do you choose your roles?
Josh: Every time I read anything, whether it be a book, a script or anything, I automatically imagine myself as the boy in the plot. I don't know why. Seriously, anything, if I'm reading a magazine article or whatever, I picture myself as the kid people are talking about. It's really weird. I don't know why I do that. I'm open to doing all sorts of things. I love doing comedies and dramas. Anything that comes my way, I'm open to it. If it's a good script and everything's right, I'll pursue it.

What's it like to watch yourself onscreen?
Josh: I am very critical of myself. I can never just sit back and enjoy the movie. I find myself critiquing myself a lot, like "I said that weird," or "That was a weird face," or "I have a funky hair thing going on there." Stuff like that just bugs me.

You were born and raised in Kentucky. Do you still go back and visit?
Josh: I still live in Kentucky. I was born and raised in Kentucky, and I still live there. I think that's the best thing for me to kind of keep a level head. When I go back home, I have a completely normal life. I have my friends, I'm on a basketball team, I go to the mall, and we just do normal kid things. It's kind of nice to kind of escape the whole movie world and just become a normal kid again.

Do your friends treat you differently because you're a movie star?
Josh: I think they're kind of used to it now 'cause I come back and forth so much now since I was nine years old and I pretty much know everybody there.

Do you have any siblings?
Josh: I have a younger brother, no sisters. He's three and a half years younger. I do (want to be an inspiration to him).Here's the thing, I don't technically torture him, I call it making him a better person or making him tougher.

What would your dream girl be like?
Josh: I like both athletic girls and girlie girls. It depends on their personality. I like girls who can go out and play sports with me and throw the football around, but you don't want a girl who's too much tougher than you.

What do you like to do in your free time?
Josh: If I'm not working and I'm home then I'm always on the go playing football or going out with my friends. I don't sit still much.

What do you want to tell your fans?
Josh: They mean the world to me. Without the fans, I wouldn't have a job. When people hire you for a movie, they want to hire you because you're going to bring an audience to their film. If I didn't have people out there who enjoyed watching me as an actor, I wouldn't get hired. Nobody would want to see the movie!