2003 was a great year for Josh Hutcherson - he had SIX acting credits in this year...not too bad for a 10 year old! We've already chatted about 5 of them - 4 movies and 1 TV show, but we have one more TV appearance to discuss - Josh's role in the ABC crime drama series, Line of Fire.
Since I'm just a year older than Josh, I was about 11 when this debued. At that time, I was more into Hey Arnold! than adult crime shows, so I watched this at 33 with fresh eyes. While I haven't seen any episodes of Line of Fire apart from this one, the premise is easy to understand - FBI agents go up against a mob boss and things get pretty crazy.
Josh's episode was no exception. In season 1, episode two, Take the Money and Run, he plays Donny, the little boy of a dad who got caught up with the mob boss. As "collateral" for a debt, Donny's father ACTUALLY ALLOWS THE MOB BOSS TO TAKE BABY JOSH AWAY...with the promise that the bad dude will get his cash from a drug deal.
Josh isn't in too many scenes, but he's believable in this and gives us the emotions we'd expect from a little boy in this predicament. Most ten year old kids would be blissfully unaware of what's really happening in a situation like this, and Donny certainly was. He plays cards with women working in sex work (such a cute scene actually!), eats ice cream with the mob boss' wife, and displays all the innocence of being a kiddo caught up in an adult situation. It really helped me escape into the story and see the plot through Donny's eyes. Well done, Josh!
It also made the scene where the mob boss' wife yells at him for involving a child even more powerful. As audience members, we want to root for Baby Josh and side with the mob boss' wife. I found myself shouting "Hell yeah!" and celebrating as she scolded her partner.
While this show wasn't a hit and only lasted 11 episodes, Josh's performance packed a punch, proving that he doesn't need to be in a ton of scenes to make an impact. If you're looking to check this one out, I was able to find it on YouTube.
Next, we journey into 2004 and Josh's next set of credits. Stay tuned!
Peace and Joshperity,
G
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