Josh Hutcherson Is Proud Of J. Law

Josh Hutcherson is giving his Hunger Games costar major props. Jennifer Lawrence's bold essay slamming gender pay inequality has resonated with many in Hollywood and elsewhere. While Lawrence has never been one to mince her words, this is the first time she has spoken out against this specific issue. And Hutcherson is totally here for her. Josh Hutcherson publicly supported Jennifer Lawrence for calling out the gender pay gap in an interview with MTV news. He said,

I’m really proud of her, and happy. She’s always been a little gun-shy. She’s always said what she thinks, but as far as tackling issues, she’s never really stepped up to do that. It’s nice to see her now taking that step, being progressive, and using her voice not just to make people laugh.

It is an incredibly positive thing to see a high-profile male actor speak up about this important gender issue. It's especially positive that Hutcherson follows yet another high-profile male actor who has costarred with Lawrence: Bradley Cooper, who also applauds her essay. (Can we make this an ongoing trend? Please and thank you.) But it is worth zooming in on the specifics of Hutcherson's quote about Lawrence now "being progressive" and "using her voice not just to make people laugh." It shows tremendous development on her part to use her platform to tackle important issues, even if it means being serious sometimes and losing an element of her jokester persona. And it is amazing on his part to see him support her speaking her mind on those issues.

Hutcherson does have a good point about Lawrence's development. From owning her farts to joking about running a rodeo, the 25-year-old has proven over her time in the spotlight that she is not the kind of woman to hold back her thoughts. But she had yet to assert herself on a current event or hot topic like the gender pay gap — something that she herself has been affected by — until recently. As Hutcherson points out, it is a significant change, which is something Lawrence seemed to realize herself. As she wrote in the essay, "When it comes to the subject of feminism, I’ve remained ever-so-slightly quiet."

It is easy to support Lawrence making innocuous jokes about bodily functions and high-calorie foods. It is even easy to support her dropping the f-bomb in casual conversation. But it is not always easy to stand by someone when they are speaking up about an issue that matters personally to them and does not affect you in the same way, which is what Hutcherson is doing. Hopefully, this will serve as further confirmation to Lawrence that she did the right thing and should continue to do so.