Josh Hutcherson Faces Swifties Backlash Over Music Comments

Josh Hutcherson has revealed fans threatened to 'destroy him' and called him a 'monster' because he doesn't like her music. 

The actor, 33, previously admitted to his I Love LA costar Jordan Firstman that he is not a fan of Taylor's music which didn't go down well with her ardent fanbase.  

Speaking to GQ Hype, he said: 'All of a sudden it garnered this, 'F**k him! He's a monster! Destroy him! He's short! He hates her because he's short!' [He is 5ft 5in.]

'It's just like, whoa! I think she's great. Her music is not my kind of music. That is why I don't want to be online. I don't need that energy.'

In December, Josh and Jordan played a camera roulette game as part of an interview with i-D magazine. 

Jordan pulled out a photo of him and his mother at one of Taylor's Eras concerts and asked Josh if he was a Swiftie.  

'Very much not,' Josh replied. 'No shade, all respect, but definitely not.' 

Taylor's fans weren't happy because Josh had previously accepted VIP tickets to the Eras tour which they said he shouldn't have accepted if he wasn't really a fan.  

The backlash he received is one of the reasons why Josh prefers to stay away from the internet and social media, adding that it's not helpful for an actor.      

'It's counterintuitive to my job, because if people know you more, you can't disappear into characters,' he said. 'They see you as, 'Oh, that's Josh.' You know what I mean? So, if you're a f*****g meme, people know you for the meme.'

Elsewhere during the interview, Josh opened up about his insecurities, saying being in the public eye has made him more aware of them.    

'I have rosacea, so I get red and flushed very easily if I'm in the sun, even if I have a hat and SPF 4,000. I get acne breakouts, and that's not cute. I'm a shorter guy, too. You're aware of your weak points,' he said. 

'[In the spotlight] you're on display for people to look at and judge, and they will say those things. They will find those insecurities and throw them in your face.'

He added: 'I've started to really open up about it in therapy and talk about it more directly as opposed to having fake confidence, but really you're dying on the inside.

'I've kind of been embracing, like, 'Oh yeah, I'm insecure about that. I feel that way. I don't like that about my body. I think I'm unattractive in that way.' 

'And pointing at it and looking at it. That's something that I've started to really grapple with in the last year.' 

The Hunger Games star has a better hold on dealing with his insecurities these days.

'I feel really good right now, like I'm owning myself and who I am and what I look like. That could change tomorrow,' he said.

'I could wake up and find out that some other guy got cast for a role that I wanted. Maybe he's taller. That can trigger all that s**t. It's easier to keep a tiger in a cage than on a leash. So I'm trying to keep it in the cage, but it is trying to get out sometimes.' 

A solid grooming routine helps Josh feel more in control, from calming rosacea with targeted skincare to embracing hair and style as a form of self-expression:

'That was something that I thought I was above, I think. I got humbled in a way of recognising that what you wear and how you look does affect how you are. I'm trying to pay more attention to that,' he said. 

Read the full feature online at GQ Hype now.