Why Mike From Five Nights At Freddy's Looks So Familiar
With over a dozen games and spinoffs released in just under a decade, "Five Nights at Freddy's" has emerged as one of the most popular multi-media franchises of the 2010s and '20s. The ever-expanding series focuses on the deadly hijinks that happen overnight at Freddy Fazbear's Pizza, a Chuck E. Cheese-like joint populated with animatronics hellbent on killing the nighttime employees who work there. And now the "Five Nights at Freddy's" mythology is expanding to the silver screen: in the upcoming film adaptation, the overnight employee in question is Mike Schmidt, the primary character in the video games.
In the movie, Mike Schmidt is a new security guard at the restaurant who has to deal with the nefarious animatronics that come to life after midnight. "Five Nights at Freddy's" is filled with a talented array of cast members and perhaps the most recognizable is Josh Hutcherson. A veteran actor with dozens of roles under his belt, Hutcherson has cemented himself as one of Hollywood's go-to actors. With "Five Nights at Freddy's," Hutcherson is headlining another potentially major film franchise, proving his versatility as a thespian.
From family-friendly films to blockbuster franchises, Josh Hutcherson has done it all, which is why the Mike Schmidt actor from "Five Nights at Freddy's" looks so familiar.
Josh Hutcherson went to space in Zathura
Josh Hutcherson is probably one of the most recognizable child stars from the 2000s thanks to his wide range of early credits. After boasting small roles in shows like "ER" and movies like the Will Ferrell-starring "Kicking and Screaming," Hutcherson nabbed his first major starring role in Jon Favreau's "Zathura: A Space Adventure." A spiritual successor to the '90s classic "Jumanji," "Zathura" starred Hutcherson and Jonah Bobo as two brothers who are thrown into space with their sister (Kristen Stewart) after they begin playing Zathura, a mysterious board game.
Despite positive reviews, the 2005 film failed to find an audience when it hit multiplexes, grossing just $58 million worldwide. Luckily, "Zathura" has emerged as a lost gem of sorts from the mid-2000s and continues to find fans. For Hutcherson, headlining "Zathura" was a major career move, as he was only just a teenager. Hutcherson opened up to Tribute about how the board game aspect of the film intrigued him, discussing how he prefers physical, communal games to video games. "They allow more room for kids to imagine, and I think that video games have too much pre-imagine. It's like getting a puzzle that's pre-assembled, it's no fun," Hutcherson said.
The actor's comments as a teenager are certainly interesting now, considering that nearly 20 years later, Hutcherson is headlining the cinematic adaptation of "Five Nights at Freddy's," one of the most popular video games of all time.
The Five Nights at Freddy's star made you cry in Bridge to Terabithia
Josh Hutcherson continued to rise in Hollywood after "Zathura," with appearances in the romantic comedy "Little Manhattan" and the Robin Williams-starring "RV." It wasn't until 2007, however, that Hutcherson landed one of his most memorable films: "Bridge to Terabithia." Based on the acclaimed children's novel of the same name, the film follows youngsters Jesse (Hutcherson) and Leslie (AnnaSophia Robb), who venture into the woods and form the mythical land of Terabithia. In this safe space, the budding friends express their desires and cultivate their imagination, forming a unique bond that crumbles due to unfortunate circumstances.
A heartbreaking film with a beautiful message about finding community, "Bridge to Terabithia" received positive reviews from critics and audiences. Unsurprisingly, both Robb and Hutcherson received unanimous acclaim for their performances, which are the heart of the film. "Robb and Hutcherson are perfectly cast," wrote The Washington Post's Ann Hornaday, praising the duo for their radically different performances. "Even when they are battling such computer-animated creatures as squogres and hairy vultures, they are believable to the bitter end."
To this day, "Bridge to Terabithia" stands out as an emotional gem in Hutcherson's filmography and the actor knows it. "I have a lot of people, even to this day, tell me they cried so hard at that movie," Hutcherson told Entertainment Weekly in 2020, adding that the film provided him valuable life experiences as he didn't have the opportunity to go to school.
Josh Hutcherson headlined two Journey films
Following his previous sci-fi and fantasy efforts, Josh Hutcherson joined forces with Brendan Fraser of "The Mummy" fame to star in 2008's "Journey to the Center of the Earth." A modern-day adaptation of Jules Vernes' seminal novel, the CG-heavy production took audiences deep into the bowels of our planet for an exciting, race-against-the-clock adventure. The film was a crowdpleaser, bringing home a highly positive A- CinemaScore. And while it wasn't the biggest critical darling, it managed to become a mild box office success, raking in north of $240 million at the global box office.
In the movie, the young, eager, and wisecracking Sean (Hutcherson) joins his uncle Trevor (Fraser), a volcanologist, on a quest into the depths of the Earth, where they encounter a mysterious world beyond logic and reason. For Hutcherson, working alongside Fraser was a fantastic experience. "Throwing that [attitude] to Brendan was very much myself, so it was easy and fun to do," the actor told WeSeeMovies.com. Unfortunately, Fraser didn't return for the 2012 sequel, "Journey 2: The Mysterious Island."
Luckily, Hutcherson was able to team up with another "The Mummy" cast member, Dwayne Johnson. The sequel proved to be another success for the actor, but also more physically demanding to make than the first one. "There was definitely a more significant amount in this than I've actually had in any other movie before," Hutcherson told Hollywood.com about the film's stuntwork. His future film roles would also continue to be physically challenging.
Josh Hutcherson played a bad guy in Cirque du Freak
By 2009, Josh Hutcherson was transitioning from child actor to teen star and there was no better strategic move for him than to join "Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant." Based on the beloved book of the same name, "Cirque du Freak" was poised to be a major franchise for Universal Pictures. Unfortunately, the film fizzled critically and was a commercial failure — grossing just shy of $40 million. Despite its failure, "Cirque du Freak" served as a major highlight reel of how Hutcherson was evolving as an actor.
In the picture, Hutcherson plays Steve, a rambunctious teen who faces off against his best friend Darren (Chris Massoglia), who becomes a half-vampire. Despite his pleas, Steve isn't able to become a vampire, which forces him to unleash his inner rage and angst. Eventually, Steve becomes a barbaric bloodsucker of sorts, destined to defeat his former bestie. Released during the era of "Twilight" and "True Blood," it didn't escape Hutcherson how his vampire flick was capitalizing on a trend. "I'm a big fan of the older vampire movies like 'The Lost Boys' and 'Interview with a Vampire,'" Hutcherson admitted to Seventeen, adding, "[It's] cool to play a vampire and be a part of this new, hot genre."
While "Cirque du Freak" never became a franchise for Hutcherson, his career would skyrocket years later when he joined a cinematic adaptation of another popular book series.
Remember him in The Kids Are All Right?
Following his stint as a bad guy in "Cirque du Freak," Josh Hutcherson made waves in "The Kids Are All Right," which saw him star as Laser, a teenager eager to meet his biological father, Paul (Mark Ruffalo). Eventually, Paul immerses himself in the lives of Laser and his sister (Mia Wasikowska), while also meeting their mothers (Julianne Moore and Annette Bening). Released in 2010, "The Kids Are All Right" was a critical triumph and managed to nab four Oscar nods.
For Hutcherson, who had previously dabbled in family-oriented projects and genre fare, "The Kids Are All Right" marked a significant shift in terms of taking on more mature and nuanced roles. The actor candidly discussed with CinemaBlend how joining the dramedy was a strategic choice to expand his career prospects. "This is just a step in the direction of becoming more of an adult actor," Hutcherson admitted, adding that the film was outside of his usual wheelhouse: "I've done a lot of fantastical crazy stuff that doesn't exist, so to break it down into something that was so real and genuine like this was really fun and different."
It was also important for Hutcherson to see what it was like to shoot an independent production, acknowledging that the film was a more intimate endeavor than his previous cinematic outings. Ultimately, "The Kids Are All Right" is a major standout in the "Five Nights at Freddy's" actor's CV, but it's far from his biggest role.
Josh Hutcherson will always be Peeta from The Hunger Games
The role Josh Hutcherson is obviously best known for (unless "Five Nights at Freddy's" becomes a box office juggernaut) is Peeta from "The Hunger Games" franchise. Hutcherson debuted as the character in 2012 and immediately became a heartthrob. While he's become synonymous with Peeta, a character who eventually gets together with Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), Hutcherson had to fight for the role. Hutcherson explained to MTV News in 2011, a year prior to the first film's release, how he immediately felt attached to the meek, kind-hearted Peeta. "It kind of drove me crazy in a way, because I felt like I was so right for it, then I had to go through this crazy audition process," Hutcherson revealed.
That off-putting audition process has since paid dividends, with Hutcherson returning as Peeta for three sequels that made "The Hunger Games" the actor's first billion-dollar franchise. From 2012 to 2015, Hutcherson reprised his role as the District 12 champion, establishing himself as one of the more popular and recognizable actors of his generation. For Hutcherson, it was difficult to definitively say what he learned from the franchise, which took up a huge bulk of his 20s.
"I just kind of grew as a person I guess," Hutcherson said in a chat with The National Post. "It was like a college experience in many ways. I've learned many things, as an actor and as a person, but to really say something specific — I don't know."
He became a TV star with Future Man
After Josh Hutcherson wrapped up his tenure as Peeta, the actor took on a number of more low-key roles, appearing in films like James Franco's "The Disaster Artist" and the Liev Schreiber-starring "Across the River and into the Trees." Hutcherson's attention during his post-"Hunger Games" career was mostly focused on his television series "Future Man," which he produced alongside Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Released to mostly positive reviews in 2017, the Hulu series focuses on Josh (Hutcherson), a janitor whose life goes awry after he completes a previously unbeatable video game.
The comedy sci-fi series ran for three seasons and has achieved cult-like status for its combination of absurdist humor, vulgarity, and graphic sex and violence. After playing the uptight Peeta for half a decade, it made sense why Hutcherson gravitated towards such a liberating and daring series, which he had a key part in shaping. "It was amazing to have Hulu and Sony television get behind such a bat-s*** crazy show," Hutcherson told Gold Derby in 2020, adding that they allowed the actor and his team to "do whatever the hell [they] wanted."
The series was no doubt an exciting challenge for the actor. "For me, going into comedy and television, I had to believe in the people I was working with," Hutcherson told Gold Derby, adding that even though he was tackling a new genre, "It doesn't matter if it's drama, psychological thriller or comedy. It all comes from the same muscle."