LOS ANGELES, Aug 17 (Reuters) - Actor Josh Hutcherson never
realized when he took on the role of Peeta Mellark in "The
Hunger Games" how big an impact the post-apocalyptic survival
film would have on popular culture.
The actor, 19, still finds it "mind-blowing" that the movie
based on the best-selling sci-fi novels by author Suzanne
Collins became a box office hit in theaters this past March,
taking in $685 million worldwide.
The movie sees rebellious teen heroine Katniss Everdeen
(Jennifer Lawrence) fight in a televised battle-to-the-death
that has been ordered by a totalitarian government. In the
process, she becomes a beacon of hope for freedom. Hutcherson
portrays Peeta, Katniss' fighting partner and love interest.
The DVD is set for release just after midnight on Friday,
packed with bonus features and interviews, and the film sequel,
"Catching Fire," is due in theaters in November 2013.
Hutcherson spoke to Reuters about the cultural impact of the
franchise and creating on-screen chemistry with Lawrence.
Q: You've had a few months to consider the success of "The
Hunger Games." Are you surprised at how well the movie has done?
A: "It's still mind-blowing to me. I think we all kind of
knew there was a pretty big fan base for the books, but I never
expected people to be this crazy about it and it to be this
successful. Our main goal was to make a great movie and I think
that's what we did."
Q: Which aspects of "The Hunger Games" story do you think
resonate most deeply with fans of today's pop culture?
A: "The media and reality TV is a huge part of our culture
now and we're seeing that extrapolated to the most extreme in
the future (in the movie) ... and the idea there are movements
all over the world now. People are coming together and standing
up for something they believe in and I think that's what this
story is all about. More than ever, people have this power and
feeling they need to do right and rise up and speak out."
Q: The DVD comes packed with bonus features such as
interviews, video diaries and a look at the making of the movie.
Which do you think fans will enjoy the most?
A: "I'm always really curious to see how a book can turn
into a movie and on the DVD there's an eight-part mini series
basically going through the whole process of book to film and
that's really cool. Within that you see a lot of our training
and the writing process ... even though I lived it, I'm excited
to see it on the DVD and see what it's like from set to finish."
Q: The "Hunger Games" books get progressively darker and
more violent as Katniss' revolution rises against President
Snow's oppressive regime. How do you think this will be dealt
with in the upcoming films, which are rated PG-13?
A: "We didn't shy away from the violence, but at the same
time, we didn't have to go graphic with it. So, I think it'll be
similar in the second movie as far as the action goes. As far as
the overall story going to a darker place, I think sometimes in
life, it can be very dark and grim and very real, and I feel
that by writing the book that way, Suzanne made it feel real for
me. That's something young people are able to see ... the story
is about hope and rising up against something. Even though it's
dark at times, it still has this light being, Katniss, and her
ability to try to start this big movement to fight."
Q: Speaking of Katniss, you and Jennifer won the MTV Movie
Award for best kiss in June. It had been dominated by the stars
of vampire romance "Twilight" in recent years. Feel good to win?
A: "Jennifer and I are such good friends. One of the hardest
parts for us is to pretend we're in love on screen. It feels so
cheesy at times because we're in love with each other in real
life as really good friends and just switching that dynamic over
was like, 'can we actually do this? We're so goofy and silly
together, can we actually pretend that we're seriously lovers?'
It's good to know that people say 'yes, you can.'"
Q: What are you most excited to explore in "Catching Fire?"
A: "Katniss and Peeta's relationship because Peeta loves
Katniss and can't help himself from loving Katniss. At the same
time he feels like Katniss is just playing this game for
everybody else and she doesn't actually have any real feelings
for Peeta. As an actor, it's hard to play that, yet also really
fun and challenging. I can't wait to dive into that aspect."
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and
Andre Grenon)