"Welcome to Hollywood, kid."
Leave it to Jimmy Kimmel to offer a warm introduction to the heartland of American entertainment. During an interview with The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 2's Josh Hutcherson Tuesday night, the late-night talk show host rehashed the first time he met the blockbuster star on his show back in 2005.
At just 13 years old, Hutcherson was a newbie in the film industry, but had began starring in a string of hits including Little Manhattan and Zathura: A Space Adventure, so the comedian offered him a helpful gift.
"Do you remember what you did?" Hutcherson asked. "You didn't tell me where babies came from, but you did give me a fake ID with what looked like the beard you are now wearing."
"You literally gave me a fake ID and said ‘Welcome to Hollywood, kid.'" That's one way to get acquainted with your new neighborhood.
The 23-year-old actor admitted he got into his fare share of trouble with his newly acquired golden ticket.
"I almost got arrested a lot of times with that," he joked.
To make matters even more interesting, Kimmel shared a clip from the actor's first guest appearance. Clad in a leather jacket with an adorably awkward bowl cut, a freshly teenage Hutcherson was full of excitement when he joined the show for the first time.
"I'm from Kentucky," the newcomer gushed. When Kimmel asked him how he got his start in the business coming from the state, he eagerly replied, "I kind of always loved entertaining people since I was really young, like 3—back in the day."
While Hutcherson was stunned by his former self's candidness, Kimmel was equally embarrassed by his younger appearance.
"Never realized how fat I was until now," he joked.