Josh Hutcherson Splits Pants Filming Intimate 'Catching Fire' Scene
In between mouthfuls of tender turkey and sweet potato casserole, MTV News took the time last week to reflect upon a few of the movies we were thankful for in 2012, and it should come as no surprise that the big-screen adaptation of Suzanne Collins' best-selling "Hunger Games" was among the chosen. As such, star Josh Hutcherson, who plays baker boy Peeta Mellark, stopped by our studios to share his own thankful list ("Gigolos"?), as well as reveal a few details about the in-production follow-up, "Catching Fire."
Among the many moments fans are surely craving is Peeta's proposal to Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) in front of the bright lights of Caesar Flickerman's cameras. But for Hutcherson, the highly anticipated scene didn't quite go as planned.
"I have proposed to Katniss," Hutcherson confirmed. "It was good. Actually, funny story: When we shot it, the actual proposal itself is done where you don't hear what we're saying, so I was just saying gibberish while I was proposing to her on one knee. Actually, the very first time I went to get down on one knee my pants ripped right down the crotch. The worst thing that could happen when you're proposing to somebody is that your pants rip right down the crotch, and that's what happened to Peeta. So... he's doomed. He's doomed. Poor guy, he just can't catch a break."
Thankfully, the pants predicament seems to be the worst the actor has weathered while filming. In fact, when asked which scenes were his favorite to film so far, Hutcherson was quick with one pivotal moment in particular:
"The Reaping stuff was really great. The Reaping stuff we did was really powerful, really well written," he recalled. "The extras were so awesome. Like, literally, every extra was a very, very talented actor, and so in the really emotional scenes, all the background really brought their A-game. It really added a lot. That was really cool to see that all come together."
Next up, the cast will fly to Hawaii to film the tropically-inclined Quarter Quell.
"The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" lights up theaters on November 22, 2013.
