At the LA press day for the Focus Features film, Hutcherson said he was attracted to the role of Laser because the character felt so real. "As a teenager, he was going through a point in his life where he’s trying to figure out who he is and how he fits into his world and who are his friends and exactly what his relationship is with his family and stuff like that. As a teenager myself, I can definitely identify with that. Especially as an actor, because I’m constantly trying to figure out who I am in all these different roles so it’s kind of hard because you lose yourself sometimes," explained Hutcherson."
Growing up in the acting profession, Hutcherson said he's just been trying to figure out his place in the world knowing that it's much different than your average 17 year old. "I’ve had a really good time with maintaining the best of both worlds sort of," said Hutcherson. "I live back in Kentucky part time too, which is nice."
As for getting into character, Hutcherson said the fact he was playing the son of a lesbian couple didn't really enter into his preparation. "I think that since this is Laser’s family, I don't think family necessarily is defined by a mom and a dad. I think it can be whoever’s around you that loves you and is there for you and cares for you and raises you. So I think that Laser’s parents have done a really good job of raising him, so for me there wasn’t any extra preparing because they were a same sex couple. On that note, also I think that one of the really cool things about the story is it wasn’t focusing on the fact they were a same sex couple, for me at least. I thought that it was really a story about the family and the fact that they were a same sex couple was just random. I feel like it could have been anybody in that same position."
That said, Hutcherson believes Laser really did long for a relationship with his father. Do "I think that it’s something that Laser’s been thinking about for a while just out of curiosity and wants to know what that’s like to have a dad around. I don't think he necessarily needs to have the father figure, but I think he just wants a guy that he can hang out with that’s somewhat of a fatherly figure. I think that a lot of people in life, not necessarily just with a lesbian family, they don’t have fathers and they have the yearning to know what that’s like."
The Kids Are All Right begins and ends with shots of Laser, and Hutcherson admits he had no idea that's what Cholodenko had in mind. "I didn’t realize it was going to begin and end on me, which is kind of cool. I think the ending was really nice because it was sort of that hope... [it gives] you a good feeling of hope at the end where you knew that maybe not everything was okay right now, and this family’s definitely going to have some more problems down the road, but they’re going to be all right. That’s why I think the kids are all right, more like the family’s all right."
