Josh Hutcherson and Elizabeth Banks, both veterans of The Hunger Games trilogy, recently reunited for Variety’s Actors on Actors series and reflected on the franchise that changed their careers. During the conversation, Banks recalled feeling like an older, protective presence on set, saying she felt like “everyone’s auntie” while filming the first movie. Hutcherson agreed that the experience was formative and intense, describing the production as a massive machine that transformed his life at a young age.
Hutcherson said the early success of The Hunger Games was overwhelming, especially because he had grown up in a small town in Kentucky and had not expected fame to become part of his career. He explained that he began acting as a child simply because he loved making movies, not because he was chasing celebrity. As the franchise exploded, he said he and his co-stars, including Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth, went through major changes together and relied on each other for support. He admitted that for a long time he felt resentful toward the attention that came with the films and struggled with the pressure that followed his rise to household-name status.
Over time, however, Hutcherson said his perspective changed. Looking back now, he said he has grown to appreciate the experience and the opportunities it created. He also expressed excitement about the continued expansion of the Hunger Games universe. A new film, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, is scheduled to hit theaters in November and will center on a young Haymitch Abernathy, the character originally played by Woody Harrelson. In the upcoming movie, Haymitch will be portrayed by Joseph Zada.
Banks also spoke warmly about the franchise and the press tours that came with it, saying the cast had a lot of fun promoting the films together. Their reunion highlighted the lasting bond between the stars and the way the series shaped their lives both professionally and personally.
Both actors are currently working on new projects beyond The Hunger Games. Banks stars in The Miniature Wife, a Peacock science-fiction romantic comedy about a woman who shrinks after a failed lab experiment. Hutcherson appears in HBO’s comedy series I Love LA, which follows a close-knit friend group that reconnects after years apart. Their latest roles show both actors continuing to build on the careers that began long before the Districts of Panem made them global stars.
