Sherri Mabry Gordon - Josh!. Leading Man Josh Hutcherson

Josh!

Considered one of todays hottest young actors, Josh Hutcherson took Hollywood and the world by storm with his performance in The Hunger Games. From the time that he was little, Josh knew that he wanted to be an actor, and he got his first role at age nine. Read about his early acting roles, his rise to fame, and his plans for the future.

Quotes, personal stories, and accessible features such as an index and further reading section will make this a book everyone will want to read.

Josh Hutcherson had a lengthy list of movie credits before bursting to stardom in The Hunger Games. It will be interesting to see where his career takes him.

About the Author

Sherri Mabry Gordon is a former magazine editor and reporter who is currently a freelance author and educational writer. Among her previous books for Enslow Publishers, Inc. is Using Technology: A How-to Guide.

It didnt take long for Josh Hutcherson to become a big star.

Although Kentucky-born Josh Hutcherson had been acting since he was nine, it was his role as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games that made him a star. He quickly became a bona fide heartthrob. With more than a million likes on Facebook and just as many followers on Twitter, The Hunger Games star has catapulted into the spotlight.

In fact, Josh says its still mind-blowing when he thinks about the success and popularity of The Hunger Games. 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, Josh told Reuters.

Yet, the popularity and success hasnt affected who Josh is. In fact, when it comes to young teen actors, none are as down-to-earth and charming as Josh.

Born in Union, Kentucky, on October 12, 1992, Joshua Ryan Hutcherson is truly Kentucky blue. After all, his parents, Chris and Michelle Hutcherson, were also born and raised in Kentucky.

With Christmas lights up year-round, a couch on his front porch, and his face painted blue for Kentucky Wildcats basketball games, Josh is proud of his southern heritage. It has made him the person he is today.

Im the same person in public that I am back home, so I dont put on an act or anything like that, says Josh.

Anyone who followed Joshs performance in The Hunger Games can tell he has a real passion for acting. But acting is not a new talent that he picked when he landed the role of Peeta. Acting is who Josh is at the core. From the time he was little, he knew he wanted to be an actor.

In fact, he has always liked entertaining people. He also admits he was pretty good at it, playing hooky from school by acting like he was sick.

Josh Hutcherson hugs an excited fan during The Hunger Games mall tour in March 2012.

Im the kid who was always putting on a show, Josh told the Post-Bulletin.

No one in his family is in the entertainment business. So when four-year-old Josh began telling his parents he wanted to be an actor, they didnt take him seriously. But Josh was relentless.

By the time he was nine years old, Josh was getting antsy about starting his career. When begging and pleading with his parents failed, he took matters into his own hands. He got out the phone book and dialed a Cincinnati talent agency. Finally, his parents paid attention and started to consider giving him the shot he was begging for.

By January 2002, at the suggestion of a talent agent, Josh and his mom left Kentucky and went to Los Angeles to audition for television pilots. Pilots are sample episodes of television programs being considered by television networks.

My parents saw my passion and saw that I wasnt going to stop at least until I went [to Los Angeles] and had a go at it, Josh told Dolly magazine. So they supported me.

Leaving Kentucky for L.A. was not an easy decision though. Josh has a close-knit family and is especially close to his younger brother, Connor. Additionally, Josh and his mother did not want to leave behind family and friends permanently. Instead, they commuted to Los Angeles from Kentucky.

They stayed in a small studio apartment in L.A. while Josh was working and auditioning and would return home to Kentucky

for a few days when he wasnt busy. It was the only option they could think of. His parents didnt want to uproot the whole family for something that came with no guarantees.

When it comes to acting, Josh has what experts call raw talent and natural abilities. Although he has never had an official acting lesson, he instinctively knows how to perform. Once in L.A., nine-year-old Josh showed that he had what it takes to build a career. First, he won a role in the pilot House Blend, a WB comedy. Then came an Animal Planet movie, Miracle Dogs. He also did some guest shots on ER, Lifetimes The Division, and Line of Fire.

Josh Hutcherson (center) and the actors who play his parents, Ted Shackelford and Kate Jackson, hold their scripts during a break from filming Miracle Dogs.

Then, within a year, Josh appeared in the film American Splendor, which won the grand jury prize at the Sundance Film Festival. He also landed small parts in Eddies Father and Motocross Kids.

By 2004, Joshs expressive voice helped him land some voice talent roles in major motion pictures. He got the chance to work alongside some top talent. In fact, it wasnt long until he was working with Tom Hanks on The Polar Express, a computer-animated feature. He did the voice for the boy hero.

Josh also did the voice for Markl, the wizard Howls assistant in Howls Moving Castle. He was the voice of Toad in Party Wagon and the voice of Van-El in the Justice League television episode, For the Man Who Has Everything.

Tom Hanks stands next to a poster for the film The Polar Express, which also features Josh Hutcherson.

Even though there is no live action in voice parts, Josh says the work is still tiring. For example, he did all the voice parts of Markl in one day. By the end of the day, he could barely talk.

By the time Josh was thirteen, the roles seemed to pour in. After voicing characters, Josh started landing more live-action roles. For instance, in 2005, Josh impressed audiences as the young hero in the movie Little Manhattan. Critics said he showed maturity beyond his years for his ability to play a young boy who struggles with his parents separation.

In 2006, Josh played Walter in Zathura: A Space Adventure