The Big Picture

Josh Hutcherson’s most unhinged character is in the action-packed thriller, The Beekeeper. He is enjoying a revival on social media due to his roles in The Hunger Games and Five Nights at Freddy’s. Hutcherson is excited to begin filming Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 but is waiting for the green light from the studio.

Shockingly, Josh Hutcherson’s role in last year’s massively successful horror blockbuster, Five Nights at Freddy’s, isn’t the most twisted project on the actor’s resume. According to Hutcherson himself in this interview with Collider’s Steve Weintraub, it’s the character he plays opposite Jason Statham in the action-packed thriller, The Beekeeper. “It is the most unhinged character I’ve ever played,” he tells us, laughing. Forget the beloved characters in Bridge to Terabithia, Journey to the Center of the Earth, or The Hunger Games; this is the movie he wants you to see first.

Speaking of The Hunger Games, with the prequel film releasing at the end of last year, and on top of the rumored Freddy’s sequel, Hutcherson is enjoying a revival across social media. When fans — you know who you are — took to TikTok, the Whistle edit swept FYP’s, prompting even more edits from interviews and behind-the-scenes clips with Jennifer Lawrence, and more. And while he may not be on social media himself, friends have directed Hutcherson’s attention to these fans’ clips.

Check out the full interview in the video above, or you can read the transcript below to find out how he feels about all the TikTok love, and for more on the magic of Jason Statham movies and what he’s up to in 2024. Hutcherson also shares his excitement to begin filming Five Nights at Freddy’s 2 and what the hold-up is on getting the green light.

The Beekeeper In The Beekeeper, one man’s brutal campaign for vengeance takes on national stakes after he is revealed to be a former operative of a powerful and clandestine organization known as “Beekeepers”. Release Date January 12, 2024 Rating R Runtime 105 minutes Writers Kurt Wimmer

COLLIDER: If someone has actually never seen anything you’ve done before, what is the first thing you’d like them watching and why?

JOSH HUTCHERSON: Oh, man, I would actually like them to watch The Beekeeper first because it is the most unhinged character I’ve ever played. And I guess if they’ve never seen anything else, and they see this first, everything else will be a breeze and a much easier pill to swallow. But this guy, Derek’s out of his mind. A lot of fun to play. A lot of fun.

Jason Statham Is a Kick-Ass Underdog in ‘The Beekeeper’

I love watching Jason Statham punch people in the face. What do you think it is about Jason that people love watching him punch people?

HUTCHERSON: He does it so well. You know, I think there’s something about Jason. I feel like you root for him, and even if he’s morally maybe not in the right sometimes, and he goes about things in the wrong way in his characters he plays, you just really root for him. He’s kind of like the underdog, even though he just kicks ass always. But there’s something about him that you want him to win.

Oh, for sure. I also think that with this film, I wish more people, like older people, would be able to see the first 10 or 15 minutes, because it does a really good job at explaining how people can get screwed over by scammers.

HUTCHERSON: Well, it starts out as a PSA. That’s what the idea originally was for this movie. It was just a PSA for older people to not get scammed and then it snowballed, and then the writer went crazy. But this was actually a government-funded PSA. [Laughs] That’s not true. But it does. It really does. And actually, my great grandma was scammed in a similar way. They didn’t get to her bank account and take all the money in the world from her, but they got her good, and it’s really unfortunate that it’s a thing.

I said to David, I thought the beginning does a really good job at explaining to people how quickly someone can get taken advantage of.

Josh Hutcherson Knows All About His New TikTok Fame
Image via Federico Napoli

So, the people of Collider reminded me of something and I wanted to read it so I don’t screw this up: Do you know how you’ve become well-loved on TikTok due to older clips of you hosting SNL and The Hunger Games?

HUTCHERSON: [Laughs] Yes. Yeah. I’m not on TikTok, and I don’t really go on social media all that often, but my friends have sent me multiple links to all these clips that are coming up and getting dredged up from the past. And look, man, it’s cool. It’s cool to be a part of that. You never know what will become big and why, and the internet works in mysterious ways. So, it’s fun to be a part of the zeitgeist in that way right now.

Oh, 100%. I’m also not on TikTok, but when some of my interviews get spread around, it’s good for the site, and it’s great.

HUTCHERSON: I’m here for it.

Josh Hutcherson Can’t Wait to Start Filming ‘Five Nights at Freddy’s 2’
Image via Universal Pictures

So, obviously, I need to touch on Freddy’s because it was a huge hit. When did you realize, “Oh, wait a minute. This might be a huge movie?”

HUTCHERSON: Honestly, not until it was out and we were seeing how many people were going to watch it. Freddy’s, it’s such an amazing world and game, and the fan base is rabid. We were excited to make a movie that they would enjoy and that they could really sink their teeth into. But I think that what we didn’t quite estimate was how many people would come and see it that maybe weren’t even fans of the game, and it was great. It’s such a cool movie. It’s such a cool world to play in, and I’m hopeful and looking forward to making more of them. So, we’ll see when that announcement comes and stuff, but I can’t wait to get back into that.

I wanted to ask you, has Blumhouse asked you to save any dates in 2024?

HUTCHERSON: Not exactly, but it looks good. Yeah, it looks good.

I spoke to Ryan [Turek] and other people at Blumhouse. I’m like, “How would you not announce the release date and the green light of the sequel when it did insane numbers?”

HUTCHERSON: We’re all patiently waiting. I mean, look, I think that they have a lot to figure out as far as where to take the story because there’s a lot of options based on the various formats of the game and story and lore. So, I think they’re kind of trying to nail down exactly which avenue they’re gonna proceed down, and then we’ll get to shooting.

Do you know what else you’re working on in 2024?

HUTCHERSON: Not yet. No, not yet. Based on where the strike was and everything last year things were really slowing down. Now it’s kind of picking back up again, so I’m excited to get some stuff lined up. But as of now, I’m just looking forward to the Freddy’s sequel at some point this year, hopefully.

The Beekeeper hits theaters on January 12.