‘How the F— Did He Do That?’: Hunger Games Star Recalls ‘Silly’ Scene

Josh Hutcherson, who starred as the boy with the bread in the original four-part Hunger Games movie series, opened up on one scene from the first film, which he found “silly.” The scene also made him the face of many memes on social media platforms. Hutcherson also spoke about whether he would return to The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping.

Josh Hutcherson criticizes ‘silly’ Hunger Games scene

Josh Hutcherson, who played Peeta Mellark in the original Hunger Games movies, reflected on one particular scene that he now found very silly.

In a recent interview with GQ published on Monday, April 20, 2026, Hutcherson singled out the scene where Peeta found himself injured and alone after his temporary pact with the career tributes. With an injury and infection, Peeta painted himself to camouflage into the stream’s bed of rocks. Katniss found him there later.

The image of Hutcherson painted like a rock has since become a popular meme. Hutcherson called this scene “silly” and recalled how he had his concerns about this particular scene from the start.

“I was like, ‘Look, I know this dude’s a baker, but how is he doing this? Baking sourdough is not painting. How the f— did he do that?” Hutcherson said, “Why didn’t someone stop it? There are so many people who could have stopped it. They let it happen to me. I just lay there.”

The scene itself was adapted directly from Suzanne Collins’ novel, but translating the scene and Peeta’s skills of disguise to the screen did not quite work out very well.

Despite his disdain for this scene, Hutcherson asserted that he had a soft spot for the series. He also said he “cannot confirm nor unconfirm” whether he was going to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming prequel installment, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping. Previous reports claimed that both Jennifer Lawrence and Hutcherson are expected to return for the new film.

Source: Comingsoon.net