"That Shit F*cked Me Up": Josh Hutcherson Just Apologized For Playing A Part In This Very Specific Trauma That Every Early-2000s Kid Remembers

Posted 18 minutes ago

When you're famous, I'm sure it's great to have people come up to you and say how much they admire your work. But what about when they come up to tell you that your work traumatized them for life? Apparently, that's been actor Josh Hutcherson's experience.

And no, fans aren't talking about his breakout role as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games franchise.

They're referring to a movie he starred in when he was just 14 years old, Bridge to Terabithia, a 2007 film based on author Katherine Paterson's 1977 novel of the same name. In a video posted to Refinery29 Australia's Instagram, the interviewer asked, "What do you have to say to the people you traumatized with Bridge to Terabithia? I was one of them."

I, too, was one of them. But if you don't share this very specific early-2000s trauma, a quick refresher on the plot: It follows best friends Jess Aarons (Josh Hutcherson) and Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb), who create an imaginary world called Terabithia in the woods behind their homes as an escape from their real-life struggles.

But while the film was marketed as a whimsical fantasy adventure, about halfway through, it takes a devastating real-world turn: Leslie dies after the rope swing they use to cross into Terabithia breaks, leaving Jess to grapple with the sudden loss of his best friend.

"Ah...sorry," Josh replies to the interviewer, dropping his face into his palm. "I have many people come up to me today in the streets, and they literally tell me that I traumatized them as children and that they went to this movie with their families thinking that it was going to be this sweet movie with this fantasy world that these kids were building and things go awry, and so I'm sorry."

"Slash, you're welcome," he continues, "because I think it's a great intro into grief."

Naturally, fellow traumatized viewers felt extremely validated. "Been waiting for this apology my whole life," one wrote.

Another said, "I dont know if i should accept your apology. That shit fucked me up. But i accept. It was great. You are great. Keep killing it Josh."

Apology or not, people still can't get over the whole bait-and-switch between what they thought they were watching and what they actually got.

"They advertised it as this fantasy like Narnia or something and then it was just an absolute gut punch," one commented, with another adding, "Went in expecting Spiderwick chronicles and got fking bamboozled 😂😂😂😭😭😭😭"

But others acknowledged that the shock factor was the whole point, because real life doesn’t give you a warning before tragedy strikes. "It is arguably the greatest possible intro to grief," wrote one person.

"Hard lesson but necessary," another agreed.

Do you share in this Bridge to Terabithia-induced childhood trauma, and if so, do you accept Josh's apology? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

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