Josh Hutcherson Opens Up About Facing Disappointment and Rejection After ‘The Hunger Games’

Josh Hutcherson recently talked about his early career and the tough years that followed the success of “The Hunger Games.” He spoke about it during his appearance on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s On Me” podcast, where he shared how smooth everything felt when he was young and how different things became once the franchise ended. Variety also reported more of his comments in a separate interview.

Hutcherson said that when he was a kid and teen actor, everything seemed easy. He explained that he “knew only success” and never really had to deal with rejection.

Things changed after he finished the “Hunger Games” movies, even though the franchise looked like it had set him up for a long, steady career. He said the industry can make you feel like you’ve made it, especially when you’re in huge movies with stars like Jennifer Lawrence and Philip Seymour Hoffman. But he added that the excitement around you can disappear just as fast.

He talked about reaching his mid-20s and suddenly feeling something he hadn’t experienced before. He said he faced his first real feelings of “disappointment, failure [and] rejection.” Instead of constant opportunities, he said there were times when no one called, no offers came in and auditions didn’t go his way. He remembered how strange it felt because from age 9 to 24 he was used to booking roles, or at least feeling confident that he would.

Hutcherson first played Peeta in “The Hunger Games” in 2012 when he was 18, and the series continued until 2015. Since then, he has taken on new projects like “Five Nights at Freddy’s 2,” “The Beekeeper,” and the HBO show “I Love L.A.”

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