Josh Hutcherson is an American actor best known for playing the leading role Peeta Mellark in the mutli award-winning and box-office record-setting film series, The Hunger Games. Before that, the actor was a child star with various supporting roles, the most notable being his role in the movie The Kids are Alright, for which he garnered the critics’ approval.
After various supporting roles, Josh Hutcherson was able to win his spot in a leading role starring along side A-listers Jennifer Lawrence and Liam Hemsworth in The Hunger Games. The mega franchise catapulted this child-star to stardom, making him a house-hold name and a millionaire.
Josh grew up in a small town in Kentucky, child to Michelle Hutcherson a Delta Airlines employee and Chris Hutcherson, an analyst for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The actor had a knack for performing from such a young age and recalls loving the entertainment industry at as little as age 4. A versatile actor, Josh had landed various commercials and minor TV roles before landing his major gigs.
Aside from this, Josh is an avid supporter of the LGBT (lesbian gay bisexual transgender) community. He has described his sexuality as “mostly straight” but does not believe in putting labels on sexuality. His interest and continuous support of the LGBT community stems from losing 2 of his uncles to AIDS.
Josh Hutcherson’s Height
Josh is constantly referred to as one of Hollywood’s shortest leading men. Standing at 1.7m or 5ft 5in, Josh is below the average height. The average height of an American man is 5.9, so statistically speaking, Josh is well below average. In Hollywood, the average male height is even higher than the American male height so Josh is in fact one of the shortest actors.
He has stated in interviews that it bothers him. “I’m not a very tall guy… it bugs me alot”. The actor has however learned to form a sense of humor around his height. After winning an award for Best Male Performance at the 2014 MTV Movie Awards, the actor joked that him and model Kate Upton could never work because she is so tall.
The actor however has nothing to worry about, with a networth of $1.5 million and a loyal fan base the he is doing just fine.
Josh Hutcherson’s Girlfriend
Speculations arose about Josh being gay which he has put an end to, describing himself as “mostly straight”. Josh has actually dated a couple of Hollywood’s leading ladies, most notable on that list are Victoria Justice, Vanessa Hudgens, Sophia Bush and Singer Ariana Grande.
However, the lady’s man has been tied down for a couple of years now by Spanish actress Claudia Traisac. Though Josh isn’t vocal about his private life, he has opened up a bit about his relationship, saying, “Distance is hard, but we make it work.” He also gushed about their romance saying that what they have is pretty good. However, the couple has been pictured by paparazzi packing on the PDA on the streets, so it’s safe to say that they’re very much smitten with each other.
Josh Hutcherson’s Gay Vibes
While Josh is not gay, he is often linked to the LGBT community because of the tremendous support he shows them. He is however open about his sexuality and does not shy away from being mistaken as gay. The actor has publicly shared that he has some male crushes. He lists his “gay crush” as Lenny Kravitz and others like Ryan Gosling and co-star Liam Hemsworth.
On a more serious note, Josh’s link to the gay community stems from his membership and heavy support in the Gay-Straight Alliance group “Straight But Not Narrow”. Josh has stated that his interest stems from his gay uncles who both died of AIDS. He is the co-founder of Straight But Not Narrow, an organization that trains young adults on how to become allies of the LGBT community. The purpose of the organization is to support the LGBT peers and create a safe haven for them.
“There is still so much to do. It’s not even only even about legislation. It starts there by making it legally acceptable but socially there is so much prejudice and bias that is integrated into our culture and that’s going to be around for awhile. I hope one day in my lifetime we get to close the door on this group but there’s a lot more work to do” Josh says about his organization — Straight but not Narrow.
