‘Hunger Games' star Josh Hutcherson recalls ‘feral' times from set

Josh Hutcherson has looked back on filming The Hunger Games as a teenager, describing the experience as his version of going to university, complete with what co-star Elizabeth Banks remembers as a distinctly "feral" energy on set.

The pair sat down together for Variety's Actors on Actors series, reminiscing about the blockbuster franchise that made them both household names. 

Banks, 52, recalled returning to set and being struck by the atmosphere created by the younger cast members. 

"I remember coming back and you guys were like this feral gang of young people. That's what it felt like."

Hutcherson, now 33, took it in good spirit. 

"Well, I mean, I think I was like 19. Like it was like that was my, I didn't do college and so like college for me was shooting those movies. And kind of growing up with them, but that was so long ago."

Banks said she often found herself in a maternal role during production.

"I felt like your auntie. I was everyone's auntie." As the four-film series progressed, though, she found her footing. 

"And then we really — I really got to like relax and have fun on the second one. There were a lot more adults my age."

The Hunger Games franchise, based on Suzanne Collins' bestselling novels and released between 2012 and 2015, became a global phenomenon. 

Hutcherson starred as Peeta Mellark opposite Jennifer Lawrence's Katniss Everdeen, while Banks played the flamboyant Capitol escort Effie Trinket. 

The ensemble also included Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Stanley Tucci and Donald Sutherland.

The nostalgia tour comes with an added layer of anticipation. 

Multiple outlets reported in December 2025 that both Lawrence and Hutcherson are expected to appear in the upcoming prequel Sunrise on the Reaping, due in cinemas on 20 November 2026. 

The details of their roles are being kept firmly under wraps for now.