Josh Hutcherson: 'Everybody Has Roles They Wanted and Didn't Get'

I've had such trouble describing the movie to people, because when I describe the plot, it sounds like a downer.

It's so hard. [Laughs]

So how should I do it?

I feel like it's almost in the same realm as Little Miss Sunshine where if you listen to the story, you think, "That doesn't sound all that funny," but then you watch it, and the way the actors are with each other makes it funny. I think it's about finding the comedy in everyday life. I know my life is full of awkward pauses, and I think it's hilarious.

It's one of those films where it just looks like everyone was having a good time.

It was such a fun set. I miss it so much, honestly. We shot it all in Venice, and I just drove down there yesterday to go get something, and just seeing it all again took me back. I felt like I'd never left.

Does it feel to you like your career has kicked into a higher gear this year? Is your life suddenly scheduled to the nth degree?

I mean, sort of. I love doing publicity stuff, honestly. I just love talking. [Laughs] Honestly, I'm a very talkative person, so to talk about making the movie is fun. Right now it's a little hectic, because the premiere was last night with the Lakers game right next door to us. Madness. There were, like, twenty helicopters circling. Then next week, we fly to Michigan for half a day, and then we're touching down for three seconds and getting back on a plane and flying to New York to do a whole thing. It's a very exciting time. I mean, a lot of love went into this movie, so to see people receive it so well is very exciting.

And I'm sure it's exciting that you've been promoted to the lead for the Journey to the Center of the Earth sequel. At the same time, though, Brendan Fraser and the original director may not be coming back. What do you know about that?

Right now, they're getting the script locked down. They're shooting it sometime this fall in some exotic location like Australia or Puerto Rico, so I'm very excited about that. You know, there's been a whole lot of things going on, and I don't know all the details to them. They kind of keep me in the dark, which I'm happy about, in all honesty. All I know right now is that the script is really, really good, and they're looking at some cool people to come in and take over some roles.

So do you think Brendan would come back, or has that ship sailed?

I have no idea. I think it'd be great. I love Brendan to death, and he's a really great guy to work with, but I have no idea.

Are you frustrated that Red Dawn has been done for a while, but it's tied up in this MGM mess?

It can be tough sometimes. The good thing is that MGM is really behind it, and I'm actually doing reshoots for new scenes this week. It's really exciting to see how passionate they are; they're not going to throw it out there and just let it die. They want to wait until they get everything in order to release it.

Do you get heavily invested in that?

I think as an actor, you have to be able to forget and move on. Everyone has flops, which are hard to deal with. Everybody has big letdowns or roles they wanted and didn't get, and that rejection is hard to deal with sometimes. As an actor, it's something I've been dealing with since I was nine years old. It's normal to me.

So you got over rejection really early?

Totally. You have to! I mean, a nine-year-old kid getting told "no" from [casting directors]?

Or, "You're not physically right for this role."

And you're like, "What do you mean, not 'physically right'?"

I seriously don't know how a child actor handles that.

It's hard. I guess the way my family raised me, I've always felt loved, so I don't have to worry if I don't get the movie. It's OK. I've never felt not good enough. It's like, "I didn't get it? Oh well: I'm auditioning for another part tomorrow." That's always been my mindset. I've had some letdowns where it's like, "Aaaah, that sucks a lot." But you have to not take it personally.

[Lead Photo Credit: Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images]

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