Josh Hutcherson on ‘The Hunger Games,’ Ryan Gosling and More

With any book-to-movie adaptation, there’s always a worry the characters you love won’t be portrayed by the right actors. We have a feeling The Hunger Games got it right, though, by casting Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, and he thinks so too.

Josh is featured in the latest issue of Elle, where he shares, “I read all three books in five days. I’ve never read a character I’ve connected with more—I am Peeta.”

Josh also opens up about his love for Ryan Gosling and, well, love in general.

“I’m a big fan,” Josh said of Ryan Gosling. “I like his subtleties and how he really internalizes a lot of the emotion. And for me, that’s kind of my style. So, he’s definitely a big person to look up to.”

And what about the romance? “I’m a big romantic, traditional, cheesy guy,” he says. “I’m all about going to the beach, under the stars. That’s a real ‘date’ date. Other than that, dinner and movie, that’s just classic. There’s a reason why it’s a traditional kind of date.”

Watch his full interview below. Do you think Josh makes the perfect Peeta?