“I was like, ‘Look, see? He’s from Kentucky and he made it. I can do it too.’ “And, weirdly, it helped them accept that this is what I wanted to do.”

“Josh is so charming. He’s so charming! And when you read in the books about Peeta being able to manipulate anybody — I mean Josh could get, well, I don’t know a metaphor for [this scenario] except for dirty ones. But he’s charming, he’s sweet, he’s down to earth, he’s normal. He embodies all of it and brings it all to Peeta. So when you meet him he’s got all of these great qualities and every single one of them come across in every line he says out loud as Peeta.”

"He was Peeta. I had heard the director, I had heard Gary [Ross] say, 'He is the only one who is actually Peeta,' and then [Josh] came in, and he was. He's charming and nice and sweet, like a dog licking your face."

"We're both from Kentucky, but I'd call him the redneck!....Josh is my rock. Lunch with him was like my one-hour therapy session. He's a great listener!"

"It's good, it's good. It's a good kiss, yeah. For sure."

“Jennifer Lawrence is beautiful, so I’m not going to complain.”

For me, it's just an honor to be a part of such a great story. Gary Ross is such an amazing director, and Jennifer Lawrence is perfect, and everyone else we cast was really great."

"I mean the obvious one is Jennifer. I think Jennifer's portrayal of Katniss is so spot on and she really does encapsulate the strength of the heroine perfectly, honestly. She to me is the one who stands out"

"Jennifer and I was like instant chemistry. I think that we both...we're both kinda from the same part of the country, we sort of have the same upbringing, so we're similar in that sense. And then we're both just real people. We're not about anything other than just have a good time and just hanging out, so I think we connected on that level for sure."

No! Instantaneous, honestly. We’re both from Kentucky so we had that same kind of background. Right away we talked about that. We hit it off and it was very easy to do our roles.

She was amazing. She’s all that! She’s amazing, she’s charismatic, she’s hilarious, real, down to earth and on top of that she’s beautiful and an amazing actress.

"We get married!" - when asked about CF

"She’s beautiful and talented, so it’s like a whirlwind of awesomeness and it’s hard 
to take in all at once."

Hutcherson said Lawrence’s abilities are so good they’re unsettling. “That’s what crazy people do. Crazy people change who they are as a person just like that, so she’s a crazy person,” he joked.

We asked Hutcherson to clarify that statement, just to be sure that he does indeed think Lawrence is crazy. “100 percent,” he said with a smile, still joking. “I’ve said that for a long time.”

Josh was also very witty and had a great rapport with Jennifer. They were both really funny and sarcastic. ~ Leven Rambin

Her {Jennifer} and Josh used to always cuddle up and act like cats..you know. They'd run after each other like they were cats or like kittens playing. It was just hysterical. It was very fun hanging out with her and Josh. The whole group was awesome. ~ Woody Harrelson

Pranks on set

“Josh and I are both crazy and so it’s good when we have other people that are not crazy to calm us down a little bit, but when Josh and I are together, we’re so bad for each other. Josh and I were in his room watching some show about crocodiles, and then we went screaming about Avatar and how upsetting it was that we couldn’t live on Pandora, and we couldn’t be Avatars no matter how hard we tried and we were screaming at the top of our lungs, and before I realized it, Liam ran in and was like, “ARE YOU GUYS ALRIGHT?” and we’re both totally upset, covering our faces all “RUUAHHH AVATAR!!!” - Jennifer Lawrence

“We have this fake dummy on the set, this really gnarled-up, scary-looking thing,” Josh says of his antics with J.L. “The other day I put it in her bathroom trailer, and she told me she actually peed her pants, she was so scared. I’m sure she’s going to pay me back.”

"Pranks. Oh yeah, Josh, he took the dummy from one of the tributes that dies from the Tracker Jackers’ sting that is completely deformed and put it on my toilet, shut the door and [had it] holding a toilet paper roll, just for added effect. I’m in my trailer and open the bathroom door and scream and my friend grabs me and had to say “It’s fake, it’s fake, it’s fake!” I hate him. I still haven’t gotten him back for that, actually. I don’t know what to do to get him back for something like that. I’d have to find a real dead body." - Jennifer Lawrence

“I accidently gave Josh a concussion, and then cried for two days. But that was just because we both trained in combat for the movies, and we were both practicing. It was actually a perfect death blow kick to the temple..it was perfection” Jennifer Lawrence

On their chemistry and friendship

"We did a chemistry read and kind of hit it off right away, I felt, for the second time, third time." - Josh Hutcherson

"We had tons of chemistry." - “Jennifer Lawrence

"No, it's hard to get things done when we're together. I'm amazed this interview we've gotten as many questions in as we have. We just start going and end up talking about the most random things."

“I’m constantly texting her, like ‘Oh boy, here we go.’ It’s kind of like we’re getting ready for our own Hunger Games.” - Josh Hutcherson

No! Instantaneous, honestly. We’re both from Kentucky so we had that same kind of background. Right away we talked about that. We hit it off and it was very easy to do our roles. - Josh Hutcherson

Interviewer: If you or Jennifer had to walk through Times Square naked, who would you make go?
Josh: Jennifer kinda wants to walk through Times Square naked already. Like I feel that's something she'd be up for just because she's a bit of a crazy person. But I'd do it if she didn't want to. If she couldn't...I'd be there and I'd support her. I'd do it for her.

"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.'" - Josh Hutcherson

"There is a certain kind of understanding of the South and the same upbringing that we both had. We definitely bonded over that instantaneously. In the screen test we talked about Kentucky and Kentucky Fried Chicken and rival basketball teams and all that stuff so there was very much a connection." - Josh Hutcherson

On how they met

"When was the first time we met? I remember it like it was yesterday."
"When was that? You were at a dance-floor something, and I came up to you like, 'What's up?' I freaked you out, because I started telling you that thing ..."
"Are you sure that's when we met?"
"Yeah, at the SAG Awards. You were on a dance floor."
"Yeah, the SAG Awards, but we weren't dancing at the SAG Awards."
"I met you in a hot-pink dress."
"No, I met you in a white dress!"
"Same thing!"