Josh Hutcherson Admitted Peeta's Rock Disguise Was "Ridiculous"

There aren’t many funny moments in the dystopian Hunger Games saga, but there’s one scene that has always made fans laugh — even if it wasn’t supposed to be humorous. And yes, Josh Hutcherson himself is aware of just how ridiculous Peeta’s meticulous disguise in the first movie was. The actor revealed that he “couldn’t stop laughing” when he first saw his face transformed into a rock.

Ever since the The Hunger Games first hit theaters back in 2012, one bizarre Peeta moment has always been a talking point for fans. Whether they’re debating how Peeta had enough time and materials to turn himself into a rock or just laughing at the wild visual, Peeta’s unbelievably intricate camouflage scene has stood the test of time. And Hutcherson recently revealed he also finds the rock makeup to be pretty goofy.

“That moment is kind of ridiculous,” Hutcherson told BuzzFeed in a Jan. 18 video. “I didn’t see what it looked like, because it was on me. And I didn’t see a monitor or anything. So I saw playback after, like, when they were showing me what it looked like, and I couldn’t stop laughing.”

Like many fans, Hutcherson admitted he was also skeptical of how Peeta could pull off such an elaborate disguise in the battle arena. The movie famously tried to justify the skill be referencing Peeta’s background in cake decorating at his bakery.

“I was like, ‘How did he pull this off? With what?’ They were like, ‘He’s a baker,’” Hutcherson recalled of his initial reaction to the face paint. “I’m like, ‘Yeah, cool, but like, that’s crazy!’ They’re like, ‘It works.’ I’m like, ‘Alright, alright. I’m just an actor, I’ll shut up, but you know, it’s kind of crazy.’”

Hutcherson also spoke about the scene on a Jan. 15 episode of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. “After I saw it I was like, ‘I’m not sure that’s what people had in mind when they read the book,’” the actor said. “But we did it.”