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A brief comment about Taylor Swift turned into a flood of online criticism for Josh Hutcherson.
The negative experience is a key reason the “Hunger Games” star keeps his distance from the internet.
“I got some heat because I did a photo shoot with Jordan, and Jordan asked me something about being a [Taylor Swift fan], and I was like, ‘Oh no, I’m definitely not a Swiftie,’” he recalled in an interview with GQ, referring to his co-star Jordan Firstman.
“All of a sudden it garnered this, ‘F–k him! He’s a monster! Destroy him! He’s short! He hates her because he’s short!’ It’s just like, whoa! I think she’s great. Her music is not my kind of music. That is why I don’t want to be online.”
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Josh Hutcherson opened up about the personal attacks he received after saying he is “not a Swiftie.” (Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images, Michael Buckner/Billboard via Getty Images)
Digital has reached out to a rep for Swift for comment.
He added that increased visibility can be “counterintuitive” to acting, arguing that when audiences know him too well, it becomes harder to disappear into a role.
“I don’t need that energy,” he told the outlet about internet virality. “It’s counterintuitive to my job, because if people know you more, you can’t disappear into characters. They see you as, ‘Oh, that’s Josh.’ You know what I mean? So, if you’re a f—–g meme, people know you for the meme.”
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Hutcherson grew up far from Hollywood in Kentucky before breaking into the industry as a child actor. The now 33-year-old quickly gained attention in the 2007 film “Bridge to Terabithia,” but it was his casting as Peeta Mellark in “The Hunger Games” franchise that cemented him as a household name.
Instead of embracing social media, Hutcherson never made it a priority. Years later, he found himself thrust into the social media spotlight while promoting his latest TV show, “I Love LA.”
Josh Hutcherson starred alongside Jennifer Lawrence in “The Hunger Games” franchise. (Murray Close/Getty Images)
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Josh Hutcherson gained early fame in “Bridge to Terabithia.” (Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images)
“Being thrust out again in the world and online in such a big way, doing a bunch of press and being on TikTok, all those things made me feel very exposed,” Hutcherson told GQ. “I started to get a lot of anxiety about it.”
The “Five Nights at Freddys” star admitted even after all these years, he still struggles with “those same insecurities” he had as a young teen in the industry. The rosacea, the acne, his height, “haven’t gone away.”
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“I think I’ve learned how to cope and accept that these are my genetics,” he told the outlet. “This is what I have.”
As Hutcherson continues working to reintroduce himself to audiences following his “Hunger Games” fame, he’s taken on darker projects, including “57 Seconds” alongside Morgan Freeman and “Future Man.”
Josh Hutcherson recently starred in “I Love LA.” (Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
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Hutcherson explained he feels “really good right now, like I’m owning myself and who I am and what I look like.”
“That could change tomorrow,” he added. “I could wake up and find out that some other guy got cast for a role that I wanted. Maybe he’s taller. That can trigger all that s—. It’s easier to keep a tiger in a cage than on a leash. So I’m trying to keep it in the cage, but it is trying to get out sometimes.”
