... go see GEO ...: Tasty Crushie Tuesday: Josh Hutcherson

I know everyone's going crazy over the Hunger Games movie, but I am giving a special attention to this past-kiddo-now-totally-hottie Josh Hutcherson who played Peeta Mellark in the film.

Joshua Ryan "Josh" Hutcherson (born October 12, 1992) is an American film and television actor. He began working in the early 2000s, appearing in several minor film and television roles. He gained wider exposure with major roles in the 2005 films Little Manhattan and Zathura, the 2006 comedy RV, the 2007 family adventure film Firehouse Dog, and the film adaptations of Bridge to Terabithia, Journey to the Center of the Earth and Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant. On March 30, 2008, Hutcherson won a Young Artist Award (for Leading Young Actor). Hutcherson was also featured on a Celebrity Teens edition of the hit show MTV Cribs, and portrayed Peeta Mellark in the 2012 filmThe Hunger Games. He will appear in the Red Dawn remake.

(More pictures, or should I say Gazillion, after jump.)

Early life

Josh Hutcherson was born in Union, Kentucky. His mother, Michelle, is a former Delta employee who now assists Josh, and his father, Chris Hutcherson, is an analyst for the EPA. He has a younger brother, Connor, as well as many pets, including two dogs, Diesel and Nixon (a boxer). He has wanted to be an actor since he was four years old, but had only begun auditioning for roles in 2002, at the age of 9. He moved from Union to California, due to limited acting opportunities.

Career

In 2005, Hutcherson appeared in several Hollywood films: he had a minor role in the Will Ferrell comedy Kicking & Screaming, voiced Markl in the animated film Howl's Moving Castle (June), and played the lead roles in Little Manhattan (September) and Zathura, which was released in November to positive reviews. The following year, Hutcherson appeared in the comedy RV, playing the son of Robin Williams's character, and subsequently played Jesse Aarons in the drama Bridge to Terabithia, which was filmed in New Zealand and released on February 16, 2007, performing well critically and commercially. He had not read the novel that the film is based on before being cast in the role. Hutcherson's first role was in the 2002 pilot episode, House Blend; in the same year, he appeared in an episode of ER. In 2003, he played the lead role in the comedy Miracle Dogs (which was released on Animal Planet), starred opposite Peter Falk and Timothy Daly in the made-for-television film, Wilder Days, and had a minor role in the well-reviewed independent film, American Splendor. He performed for the motion-capture imagery in 2004's The Polar Express.

Hutcherson's next role was in Firehouse Dog (released on April 4, 2007), in which he played Shane Fahey, a firefighter's son who befriends a dog. Hutcherson filmed Firehouse Dog before Bridge to Terabithia, though the latter film was released first. His next roles were in the "very dark" independent film drama Winged Creatures, and playing the nephew of Brendan Fraser's character in Journey to the Center of the Earth, a new 3-D film version of the novel of the same name; filming on Journey, which was released on July 11, 2008, began in Montreal in June 2006 and ended in October of that year. Hutcherson also appeared in a film adaptation of the book Cirque Du Freak.

Personal life

In 2010, he had a supporting role in the critically acclaimed movie The Kids Are All Right, playing Laser. Hutcherson has said that he would like to appear in every type of film genre. On April 4, 2011, Lionsgate announced that Hutcherson had been cast as Peeta Mellark in the 2012 film, The Hunger Games.

Hutcherson briefly dated his Journey 2 co-star Vanessa Hudgens but the two are now good friends.

Hutcherson has cited actor Jake Gyllenhaal as an inspiration. On August 11, 2007, Hutcherson served as the Grand Marshal at the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series Meijer Indy 300 at Kentucky Speedway. In September 2008, he went to Italy for the first time. He visited Rome and Milan, and participated in a local event about kids and cinema. Hutcherson recorded a video for the "Straight but not narrow" campaign, designed to encourage young, straight men to come out in support of their gay peers.

On April 7, 2012 Josh will throw out the ceremonial pitch at the Miami Marlins - Cincinnati Reds Game.

Filmography

*Year*	*Title*	*Role*
2003	American Splendor	Robin
2004	Motocross Kids	TJ
2004	Howl's Moving Castle	Markl
2004	The Polar Express	Hero Boy
2005	One Last Ride	Joey
2005	Kicking & Screaming	Bucky Weston
2005	Little Manhattan	Gabe
2005	Zathura: A Space Adventure	Walter
2006	RV	Carl Munro
2007	Bridge to Terabithia	Jesse Aarons
2007	Firehouse Dog	Shane Fahey
2008	Fragments	Jimmy Jaspersen
2008	Journey to the Center of the Earth	Sean Anderson
2009	Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant	Steve
2010	The Kids Are All Right	Laser
2011	Detention	Clapton Davis
2012	Journey 2: The Mysterious Island	Sean Anderson
2012	The Hunger Games	Peeta Mellark
2012	Carmel	Joshua
2012	Red Dawn	Robert
2012	7 días en La Habana	Teddy Atkins
2013	Catching Fire	Peeta Mellark
2013	Aaron & Sarah	Aaron

Television

*Year*	*Title*
2002	Becoming Glen
2002	House Blend
2002	ER (Ep: "First Snowfall")
2003	The Division (Ep: "Till Death Do Us Part")
2003	Miracle Dogs
2003	Wilder Days
2003	Line of Fire (Ep: "Take the Money and Run")
2004	Eddie's Father
2004	Party Wagon
2004	Justice League (Ep:"For the Man Who Has Everything")
2010	The Third Rule

Awards

*Year*	*Award*	*Category*	*Nominated Work*
2004	Young Artist Award	Outstanding Young Ensemble in a New Medium	The Polar Express
2005	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film (Comedy or Drama) - Leading Young Actor	Zathura: A Space Adventure
2007	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actor	Bridge to Terabithia
2007	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Ensemble Cast	Bridge to Terabithia
2010	Breakthrough of the Year Award	Breakthrough Actor in Film	The Kids Are All Right
2010	Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film	Best Cast	The Kids Are All Right
2012 2012	NewNowNext Awards CinemaCon Award	Next Mega Star Breakthrough Performer of the Year Award	The Hunger Games The Hunger Games