Hunger Games Star Josh Hutcherson Regrets Playing Peeta Mellark: Here’s Why
Josh Hutcherson says the Hunger Games juggernaut came with a cost — at one point, he even regretted playing Peeta Mellark. Reflecting on the franchise’s white-hot fame, he unpacks how the pressure reshaped his feelings about the role alongside Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth.
Josh Hutcherson is doing the press rounds for Five Nights at Freddy's 2, and he took a minute to unpack how The Hunger Games messed with his head a bit — without disowning it. It is one of those honest, slightly uncomfortable admissions you almost never hear when someone rode a massive franchise to global fame.
The Hunger Games hangover
Hutcherson, who played Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth in the YA juggernaut, told Collider in New York City that yes, he did resent aspects of the role at times — but not the work itself. He made it clear he never wished he had skipped The Hunger Games. It was more about everything that came with it: the nonstop attention, the glare of the spotlight, the way your life stops being yours when a franchise hits that big.
"There were definitely times where I was spiteful towards it because of the fame, the attention. I didn't want any of that. I genuinely, to this day, don't want it... It was hardcore."
He said there was a stretch where leaving the house felt impossible. Again, not a knock on the movies — he called them important and was grateful to be part of them — but the fame side of it clearly took a toll.
Post-2015 reality check
After Mockingjay: Part II wrapped the series in 2015, Hutcherson hit a wall that might surprise anyone who assumes blockbuster leads get a lifetime pass. The offers slowed down. He started auditioning. And then he started hearing 'no' — a lot. For him, that was new.
"There weren't a lot of projects coming my way. I was auditioning, but not getting cast. Now I'm tasting rejection, and I'm 27 years old. I've never tasted that before."
That whiplash from global phenomenon to fighting for roles is a very real, very unglamorous part of the machine, and he does not sugarcoat it.
Where he is now
These days, Hutcherson is back in the genre trenches. He says Five Nights at Freddy's 2 leans much scarier than the first movie. He also turned up earlier this year in The Beekeeper, which is a very different lane from District 12, obviously.
Quick timeline
- 2012–2015: Plays Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games films alongside Jennifer Lawrence (Katniss) and Liam Hemsworth (Gale)
- 2015: Final film, Mockingjay: Part II, hits theaters
- Post-2015: Projects slow down; he starts auditioning more and experiencing rejection for the first time
- Now: Promoting Five Nights at Freddy's 2 (he says it is scarier); recently appeared in The Beekeeper
Short version: he does not regret the role that made him famous. He just wished the noise around it came with an off switch.