With the release of “The Hunger Games” just a few days away, actor Josh Hutcherson, who plays Peeta Mellark in the film, talked to Brit film site about what drew him to the character and about some of his upcoming film work, including the reboot of the 1980s Cold War camp classic “Red Dawn.”

Here’s the nut graf:

“Q: What was the thing that grabbed you? Was it the story or the characters?
A: It was both actually. For me, Peeta, I’ve never read a character I’ve connected with more, or felt I am more like. It was almost creepy how much I felt like I was like Peeta in his belief that you have to be who you are no matter what situation you’re in, and that you have to be able to look in the mirror and like that person you see. As an actor growing up in the business you have a lot of opportunities to change who you are and sacrifice what you believe in for other things, and for me I never wanted to do that, and that’s huge with Peeta. Also the story is so intriguing, the social commentary on reality TV, combined with the separation of the rich and the poor, and that sort of idea of a group of people banding together and fighting for a cause is becoming more and more relevant today with what you see in society, so those two elements together made for what was so intriguing to me.”

Read the full story here.