Yes, he's seen it.
Yes, Josh Hutcherson has seen the "Whistle" edit.
The actor sat down with ET's Ash Crossan this week to talk about his role in the upcoming Jason Statham action flick, The Beekeeper, but first had to answer some questions about that infamous fan edit -- which has recently resurfaced on TikTok.
"I love it. It's great," Hutcherson joked of the 2014 YouTube video, which has amassed over 11 million views to date. "Somebody said it became, like, the new Rickroll... I'm like, this is just wild and I don't know why."
The actor admitted that he's not on social media, so he didn't understand at first why pictures from "some old photoshoot" were going viral.
"Then finally, over the holidays, my brother and his boyfriend were like, 'We need to sit you down and explain to you what's happening online," Hutcherson recalled. "And so they gave me a rundown. They showed me all these videos and we were all laughing about it."
"When somebody first told me, 'The Whistle Song,' I, in my mind, went to [Too $hort's] 'Blow The Whistle,'" he added with a laugh. "And then when I saw it, I was like, oh, it's that whistle [Flo Rida's 'Whistle']. Ah, OK. I don't get it, but I'm here for it."
While he might be oblivious about his new viral fame, the actor can at least acknowledge the continued (and recently renewed) love for his Hunger Games role as Peeta Mellark. And while he hasn't yet seen the prequel film A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, he remains enthusiastic about the franchise and its passionate fanbase.
"I've heard it's great," Hutcherson shared. "I'm really curious, 'cause the world of Hunger Games has obviously been really interesting to me for a long time."
"I mean that was one of the biggest moments of my entire life, was making those movies," he continued. "It was really weird driving around and seeing Hunger Games billboards and feeling like I should be at a press junket... We need to have a reunion, it's been too long."
Hutcherson also shared his appreciation for co-star Jennifer Lawrence's viral Golden Globes moment, where she mimed to the camera that she was ready to leave the awards if she didn't win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Film - Musical or Comedy, for her side-spllitting rom-com, No Hard Feelings. (Spoiler alert: she didn't win, but celebrated in a big way for pal Emma Stone)
"She was really funny," he laughed. "She probably left, too."
In The Beekeeper, Hutcherson plays against type as narcissistic nepo baby Derrick Danforth. The son of the United States president, Derrick is plenty well off, but still finds twisted pleasure in a phishing scheme that robs elderly citizens of their life savings.
"It has such a weird dark comedy element to it," Hutcherson said of the film. "Derrick, my character, just in his twisted, unhinged mind and outlook on things, I thought, like, 'Wow, I'm not the actor that most people think of to come in and play this guy.' And so to really step up and do something like this was like a dream come true."
"We kind of landed on this wildly insecure guy who has so much money, so much privilege, and sees people as cockroaches basically," he continued. "Mix snakeskin boots and leopard print shirts and greens and golds and you have a diamond stud earring and you have really frosted tips. It almost got out of hand but I think that we've kind of walked that line with this douchey crypto bro."
While his character is being hunted down by the titular "beekeeper" -- Statham's retired special operative who is seeking revenge for one of Derrick's victims -- Hutcherson admitted that his tough guy co-star is, in real life, "so nice."
"He's so nice and like, weirdly not intense," he marveled. "You'd think Jason Statham would be this rough and intense, but no, he's just a nice guy that works his ass off, really great with the whole crew, does all his own stunt work. And he's just humble."
The actor also had nothing but love for the Five Nights at Freddy's fandom, who made his 2023 video game adaptation the highest grossing film in the history of horror magnate Blumhouse.
"I think they nailed it," Hutcherson said of the film. "The games are huge, obviously... and there's so much lore and there's a big expectation about the movies. So they all showed up."
"It's a hard thing, because it's a PG-13 horror, which is kind of difficult to find that right turn," he added. "I really feel like they cracked something that's really hard to crack, which is like, an intro to horror kind of thing... I'm super ecstatic about the success and I'm excited to make some more."
So, does that mean there's a sequel in the works?
"That hasn't been officially announced yet, but that's the plan," Hutcherson shared.
The Beekeeper is in theaters Jan. 12.
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