Rising child star Josh Hutcherson has wracked up an impressive number of credits in his short career. Hutcherson has appeared in a number of high profile projects since his professional debut in 2002. Getting his start in television, Hutcherson made a memorable guest appearance on an episode of the popular NBC medical drama, “ER” which led to him being cast in the short-lived WB comedy series “House Blend” (2002) starring Amy Yasbeck and former MTV personality Dan Cortese. Though the show quickly tanked, Hutcherson moved on, maintaining a busy schedule in both film and television for the next three years.
In 2003, Hutcherson appeared in the critically acclaimed indie hit “American Splendor”, a biopic of the legendary American comic raconteur, Harvey Pekar. Young Master Hutcherson then followed up later that year with a role in the gambling drama “One Last Ride”, executive produced by Ang Lee. The year 2004 proved the busiest yet for the rising young talent: In addition to popping up in a supporting role in the family-friendly action flick “Motocross Kids” (directed by journeyman actor-director Richard Gabai), Hutcherson found time to star in TV pilot, an updated revamp of the classic comedy series “The Courtship of Eddie’s Father”. Though the pilot was not picked up for the 2004-05 season, Hutcherson kept himself busy on the guest star circuit, making notable guest appearances on such series as “The Division," “Line of Fire” and the TNT telepic, “Wilder Days” opposite Peter Falk. Hutcherson also found time to lend his voice to the popular Cartoon Network animated series, “Justice League.”
Since wrapping his acting duties as Hero Boy in Robert Zemeckis’ animated adventure, “The Polar Express” (2004)—his biggest role to date—Hutcherson has been attached to no less than half a dozen high-profile projects. In 2005, Hutcherson was cast in the lead role of 20th Century Fox’s family comedy “Little Manhattan”, opposite fellow TV vets Cynthia Nixon and Bradley Whitford. Most recently, Hutcherson was tapped by director Jon Favreau to star in his big budget fantasy, “Zathura” (2005). Based on the book by children’s author Chris Van Allsburg, “Zathura” is the story of two young brothers who are drawn into an intergalactic adventure when their house is magically hurtled through space. He next starred in “Little Manhattan” (2005), a coming-of-age romantic in which he played a 10-year-old boy discovering love for the first time by pursuing the object of his affections, his 10-year-old classmate Rosemary (Charlie Ray). In “Kicking & Screaming” (2005), he was the young son of a man (Robert Duvall) in constant need of competing with his older son (Will Ferrell) from his first marriage. Hutcherson then appeared in the one-note comedy, “RV” (2006), playing the son of an over-worked executive (Robin Williams) who drags his family on a road trip from hell to Colorado in an RV he barely knows how to drive. Along the way, they encounter a clan of fanatical RV enthusiasts, forcing them to band together and become a family again—if they can avoid driving each other insane. Despite poor reviews, “RV” took its opening weekend with a $16 million haul at the box office.