Hunger Games is undeniably the project to watch with every talented actress between 14 and 24 vying for the lead role of Katniss Everdeen, heroine and huntress of the best-selling YA trilogy. While Jennifer Lawrence is currently rumored to be the frontrunner for Katniss, the race to fill the role of her kind-hearted love interest, Peeta, is heating up! Last week Alex Pettyfer revealed he is being considered for the role, but now early favorite Josh Hutcherson has thrown his hat into the ring, telling EW:
“I love Peeta…The character is so much who I am—self deprecating, a people person. And he’d be such a great character to play! Like in the third book? Oh my God.”
EW notes that Hutcherson went on to reveal what specifically attracts him to Peeta’s character arc, but to avoid spoilers, they chose not to share.
While I know some of the fans who’ve commented in our Hunger Games cast picks rallied against Hutcherson playing Peeta because of the color of his hair (Peeta is a blonde in the books), I’m personally thrilled to hear of a potential Peeta who has actually read the series and is eager to talk about it. On top of that, while Pettyfer may have the look – Hutcherson has got the acting chops.Plus, 2011 is looking to be big for Hutcherson, as four of his films are expected to hit theaters this year, including the action-heavy Red Dawn reboot, the family-friendly follow-up to 2008’s Journey to the Center of the Earth, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, and the SXSW selected R-rated horror-comedy Detention, which is being described as Scream meets The Breakfast Club. Now, having just wrapped shooting on Benicio Del Toro’s segment for 7 Days in Havana, Hutcherson is winding up to appear in Neil Patrick Harris’ directorial debut Aaron & Sarah. The comedy, which co-stars Emma Roberts and centers on the evolving chemistry of two high school friends, is slated to shoot this summer. So undeniably, Hutcherson’s star is on the rise. However, he’s not a lock for the part of Peeta.
Though he has read the script (Pettyfer has admitted he hasn’t) and has met with director Gary Ross, Hutcherson confesses, “They’re meeting a lot of people right now…One can only dream.”
Personally, I’m pulling for Hutcherson’s involvement in the Hunger Games, as he has proved a talented and touching performer. However, I also relate to those that are hoping lesser-knowns will fill the teen leads and allow movie audiences to more easily sink into the gritty and brutal world of the Panem. Regardless, I’m taking the producer’s interest in Hutcherson as good omen; it could suggest that acting talent is being prized over pretty boy good looks. Of course there’s been no official word on any of the cast yet, so in the meantime, I’ll continue to doggedly speculate on each of these stories until solid decisions break.
You speculate too. Who do you want to play Peeta? What are your hopes for the Hunger Games cast?