Josh Hutcherson Jokingly Apologizes For 'Traumatizing' Entire Generation Of Kids With 'Bridge To Terabithia'

Nineteen years, several Hunger Games and countless therapy sessions later, millennials are apparently still seeking justice for what Bridge to Terabithia did to us.

For anyone fortunate enough to have escaped this childhood trauma, Josh Hutcherson played Jess Aarons in the 2007 fantasy drama alongside AnnaSophia Robb as Leslie Burke. The unlikely best friends create the magical world of Terabithia to escape everyday life.

Then the movie emotionally drop-kicked its young audience.

Nothing could have prepared unsuspecting kids for Leslie’s sudden death after the rope swing she and Jess used to reach Terabithia broke. Just like that, a childhood adventure became our collective introduction to grief—and clearly, some of us have yet to recover.

In a recent interview with Refinery29, Hutcherson was asked to explain himself:

"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."

So, do we accept Hutcherson’s apology? Before answering, we may want to consult the therapists who got us through this because there’s one tiny catch: He’s not entirely sorry.

In perhaps the boldest humblebrag of his career, Hutcherson found a silver lining:

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

And maybe he has a point. Bridge to Terabithia offered no heroic rescue, magical undo button, or last-minute escape—just Jess learning how to keep going after losing someone he loved.

Watch Hutcherson plead his case below:

It was a brutal lesson for kids who walked in expecting an adventure and walked out with an unsolicited lesson on mortality. But 19 years later, the fact that we’re still talking about Leslie, Jess, and that rope swing suggests it stuck.

And apparently, Bridge to Terabithia isn’t the only Hutcherson nostalgia millennials may need to prepare for emotionally. When Refinery29 asked about his rumored return as Peeta Mellark in The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, the actor kept any potential casting news firmly under wraps, insisting, "I'm allegedly returning."

I’m sorry, Peeta might be back? Calling my therapist immediately.

Allegedly or not, Hutcherson clearly isn’t ready to put Peeta behind him. He said he’d happily return to the role if Suzanne Collins had another story to tell.

Whether that earns Hutcherson forgiveness—or makes “you’re welcome” a little too ambitious—is where the internet comes in:

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Fortunately for Hutcherson, his Refinery29 conversation wasn’t entirely devoted to answering for the emotional crimes of his youth.

The actor visited a Los Angeles shelter in support of Clear the Shelters and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, where he opened up about his passion for animal adoption. A proud dog dad to two rescued pit bulls, Driver and Manchi, Hutcherson credits them with helping keep him grounded.

Hutcherson explained what his dogs have given him:

"Having my dogs has given me so much, and I want other people to able to experience that because life's just better with a dog or a cat, and you can tackle more problems if you have that grounding force with you."

That stability carries particular meaning for Hutcherson, who began acting as a child and acknowledged that his upbringing looked different from most.

Hutcherson reflected on the childhood that shaped him:

"I didn't have a 'normal childhood', but that curiosity, that playfulness, that spirit, that's how I've been since I was a kid. And [now] I get to have a job where I get to play in that world and experience that every day on set... I really liked my childhood, and I think that it set me up for a really great life experience that I'm grateful for."

And his career isn’t slowing down. Hutcherson is currently filming Season 2 of I Love LA alongside Rachel Sennott, trading imaginary kingdoms and dystopian arenas for something considerably less emotionally hazardous: comedy.

After 19 years of answering for Bridge to Terabithia, we’ll allow it.