They Called Her ‘The Girl on Fire’—But Jennifer Lawrence Says It Was Josh Hutcherson’s Flame That Lit the Spark First

Before Jennifer Lawrence became Katniss Everdeen, before her Oscar win, and before she was dubbed Hollywood’s “Girl on Fire,” she was just a 10-year-old in Kentucky with a dream—and a local newspaper clipping that would set her career in motion.

That clipping featured a young Josh Hutcherson, a fellow Kentuckian who had just headed to California to pursue acting. Lawrence saw it, turned to her parents, and declared, “Look, I want to do this, too.”

Years later, in a twist of Hollywood fate, the two would find themselves standing side by side in The Hunger Games franchise, playing Katniss and Peeta.

From Childhood Inspiration to Co-Stars

Hutcherson recalled the story in a 2020 interview with Yahoo Entertainment. “She came over to me and told me this story… and that was me,” he said. “It’s crazy that we ended up doing these movies together.”

The pair’s friendship quickly blossomed, though not without a few bumps—literally. In the same interview, Hutcherson laughed about an early on-set mishap. “She was being a real show-off, thinking she was Jackie Chan… throwing air kicks… and then crack! She clipped me in the temple. I don’t really remember because I got knocked out.”

When he came to, Lawrence was “crying” and leaning over him, horrified at what had happened.

The Double-Edged Sword of Franchise Fame

While The Hunger Games cemented both actors as household names, Hutcherson admitted the experience was complicated. “You can become boxed in as an actor,” he said, noting that iconic roles can make it hard for audiences—and filmmakers—to see you as anything else.

For Lawrence, the aftermath was equally disorienting. After the first film’s release in 2012, she won the Academy Award for Best Actress in Silver Linings Playbook at just 22. The whirlwind success came with a price.

“I lost a sense of control between Hunger Games coming out and winning the Oscar,” she said at the BFI London Film Festival in 2022. “I felt like more of a celebrity than an actor… I found out that a lot of filmmakers I loved had scripts that weren’t even reaching me. I had let myself be hijacked.”

Reclaiming Her Career

In 2018, Lawrence left her agency, CAA, and began charting her own course, founding the production company Excellent Cadaver. Her return to indie cinema with Causeway (2022), directed by Lila Neugebauer, marked a creative reset.

For Lawrence, the journey from starstruck Kentucky pre-teen to Hollywood heavyweight came full circle—fueled, in part, by a boy in her hometown who took a leap toward his dreams.

As she once inspired millions as Katniss Everdeen, Jennifer Lawrence never forgets that, once upon a time, it was Josh Hutcherson’s story that lit her spark.

Do you want me to also prepare a more playful, fan-magazine version of this story with a “Hunger Games reunion” vibe for pop culture outlets? That would make it extra shareable.