Josh Hutcherson Just Shared A Bunch Of Behind-The-Scenes Facts About Making "The Hunger Games" Movies

It's no secret that lately everyone on the internet seems to be obsessed with Josh Hutcherson. I mean, for a solid period of time, the "Whistle" edits featuring Josh were everywhere, and Five Nights at Freddy's was one of the biggest new movies of 2023.

Closeup of Josh Hutcherson sitting for a late-night TV interview and giving the peace sign
Todd Owyoung / NBC / Getty Images

Alongside his new work, The Hunger Games movies also saw a big resurgence in the last year.

Screenshots from "Catching Fire"
Lionsgate

Fans were rewatching the original movies, Catching Fire celebrated its 10th anniversary, Jennifer Lawrence AND Josh starred in new movies, and The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes came out. It was a big year to be a fan of The Hunger Games and the actors who starred in them.

Screenshot from "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes"

So, when Josh swung by BuzzFeed to do our puppy interview, there were a few burning questions about Peeta, the movies, and more that we just needed answers to.

Josh Hutcherson playing with puppies
BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

Here are just a few incredible behind-the-scenes stories Josh shared:

First, looking back, Josh said filming the moment when Peeta camouflages himself in The Hunger Games was wild. "We shot that in the mountains outside of Asheville in North Carolina. There were A TON of snakes," he recalled.

Peeta in the dirt from "The Hunger Games"
Lionsgate

He added, "Like, they put me into a rock crevice that just looked like it went infinitely back into a dark snake pit. So, I had to lay there for, like, 45 minutes while they did this whole makeup thing on my face."

Screenshots from "The Hunger Games"
Lionsgate

In terms of what the finished product looked like, Josh told BuzzFeed he didn't know how hilarious he looked until after they filmed the scene.

Closeup of Josh Hutcherson
BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

He explained, "I didn't see what it looked like because it was on me, and I didn't see a monitor or anything. So, I saw playback after, like, when they were showing me what it looked like, and I couldn't stop laughing. 'Cause I was like, 'How did he pull this off?! Like, with WHAT?!' They were like, 'He's a baker.' Like, yeah, cool, but like?! That's crazy."

@starsentmal / Lionsgate / X / Via x.com

Josh joked, saying, the filmmakers assured him the moment worked, saying, "I'm just an actor, I'll shut up, but it's kind of crazy."

Next, after filming wrapped on The Hunger Games movies, Josh said he did take something from set to remember Peeta and his time working on the films.

Katniss and Peeta sitting next to each other in a scene from "Catching Fire"
Lionsgate / Everett Collection

He revealed, "I took the little locket that Peeta gives to Katniss, yeah!" Of course, Peeta gives the necklace to Katniss while they sit on the beach in the arena in Catching Fire.

Screenshots from "Catching Fire"
Lionsgate

And, yes, Josh still has the locket.

Josh Hutcherson playing with puppies
BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

Overall, Josh's favorite Peeta moment to film was when he got to portray Peeta while he was "messed up with the tracker jacker venom and all that" in Mockingjay — Part 1 and Mockingjay — Part 2.

Screenshots from "Mockingjay — Part 2"
Lionsgate

He elaborated, saying that playing Peeta in that state of mind made him really want to play a villain, which he finally got to do in his latest movie. "Similar to, like, with The Beekeeper, how I just got to go to a pretty wild place with the character and be pretty free with it. Doing that kind of thing was a lot of fun, too."

Screenshots from "Mockingjay — Part 2"
Lionsgate

Josh said it has been great to continue to stay in touch with Jennifer and Liam Hemsworth over the years. Jennifer even texted him after the success of Five Nights at Freddy's. Describing their bond, Josh told BuzzFeed, "It's kind of like trying to get these three [puppies] to stay together when they just are all doing all kinds of other crazy things, and that's like me, Jen, and Liam."

Josh Hutcherson playing with puppies
BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

He continued, saying, "Just like we're always all over the world in different places, but when we get together, it's kind of similar to this dynamic."

Josh Hutcherson playing with puppies
BuzzFeed Celeb / Via youtube.com

"It's great, though. They are still near and dear to me," Josh added.

Liam Hemsworth, Jennifer Lawrence, and Josh Hutcherson laughing on the red carpet
Daniele Venturelli / WireImage / Getty Images

And finally, out of all of his previous characters, Josh would love to revisit Peeta if the opportunity presented itself — hint, HINT, Suzanne Collins. I'm just saying.

Josh Hutcherson as Peeta Mellark
Lionsgate / Everett Collection

He told BuzzFeed, "Just reliving the whole Hunger Games experience again. I would go back to Peeta in a heartbeat."

Closeup of Josh Hutcherson giving a thumbs up while on the red carpet
Todd Williamson / Getty Images

You can watch Josh's full puppy interview below: