Why Josh Hartnett Walked Away From Hollywood? “A Guy Came To My Premiere With A Gun…”

Wanting to explain why he had twice refused to play Superman, the Trap actor recounts having experienced several harassments from “fans”.

In the late 1990s, Josh Hartnett seemed destined to become a global star: revealed in the role of the son of Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) in Halloween 20 years laterhe has had a series of successes The Facultyby Robert Rodriguez, and Virgin Suicidesby Sofia Coppola, in a few months. Playing with his image as a sexy young actor in 40 days and 40 nightshe was then transported to the headliner of blockbusters more ambitious than each other, such as The fall of the Black Falconby Ridley Scott or Pearl Harborby Michael Bay.

However, at the beginning of the 2000s, the young actor preferred to move away from the sets. Courted by the production of Superman Brett Ratner's offer to play the superhero on the big screen, he refused. Twice. He would be found in the following years in more secondary roles, such as in Sin Cityor in smaller productions, such as Brian de Palma's thriller The Black Dahlia and the horror movie 30 days of night.

Jude Law and Matt Bomer Reveal Why They Didn't Play Superman

Two decades later, as he prepares to return to Trapby M. Night Shyamalan -in a role of serial killer which seems to have amused him a lot-, The Guardian publishes a long portrait of Josh Hartnett. If the British media recalls thatin finehe only left Hollywood for 18 months in the heart of the 2000s, it is clear that this choice was perfectly conscious. Moreover, at 46 years old, he now lives with his family far from the American glitz and glamour, in the English countryside surrounded by all sorts of pets.

“I didn't want my life to be swallowed up by my work, he begins. There was this idea at the time that it was better to just let it all go. We all saw what happened to some of the actors. They were consumed by it all. I didn't want that.”

“Some of my films (from the 2000s) have had success, he continues. Others didn't, but I was careful to choose only surprising things, outside of what people expected of me.”

“Today, maybe the rest of the industry looks more like what I always wanted to do? he also said to try to make people understand his desire to film less at a given moment, before returning to television, for example (Penny Dreadful, Black Mirror Or The Bear very recently) or in projects such as TrapThis “Silence of the Lambs at a Taylor Swift concert”. Or is it my age? I could give you a million examples of actors who started to become more interesting as they got older. You can't be a naive person forever, can you?”

Already remarkable in Oppenheimerby Christopher Nolan last year, Hartnett then says that he did not discuss with the filmmaker the fact of having refused to play Batman in the mid-2000s. He had met the screenwriter and director, but he preferred his film about rival magicians Prestige. Ultimately, both were worn by Christian Bale.

“You know, we haven't had a direct discussion about this, he commentsbut when Nolan called me back (For Oppenheimer)I knew I better accept. You're not going to get a ton of opportunities with Chris Nolan.

I don't regret saying no to those superhero roles, but I recognize that I missed an opportunity to work with a guy like Chris, he considers today. I understood that even if you make sure to always find interesting roles to build your career, it will not be what matters most in the end. What is really important is to find collaborators in whom you have complete trust.”

Explaining that he also made choices for very personal reasons, based on his parents' separation, for example, he ends up detailing the bad experiences that also pushed him to flee Hollywood. Now, his visa allows him to work 180 days a year outside England, and that suits him very well: he can enjoy his family life more and see his children grow up.

“There was a period when the attention I received was borderline and frankly unhealthy, he confides. Look, I don't want to give this too much weight, but there have been incidents. People ringing my doorbell, for example. People stalking me. A guy came to one of my premieres armed, he had this gun and he was claiming he was my father. He ended up in jail. A lot of stuff happened. It was really weird. And I certainly wasn't going to give them any food for thought.”

Josh Hartnett was 27 at the time of this last example, it was just after the release of 40 days and 40 nights.

Trap will be released on Wednesday, August 7 in theaters. Here is its trailer:

Josh Hartnett Loves His 'Weird' Role in M. Night Shyamalan's Trap