Josh Hartnett recently talked about why he stepped back from Hollywood at what seemed like the height of his career possibilities.
In an interview with The Guardian, he shared that he turned down the chance to play Superman twice, because the attention from fans and media was too much. He even had a seriously frightening moment when a man showed up at a movie premiere with a gun, claiming to be his dad, which led to the man going to prison.
This incident made Hartnett decide to avoid huge roles, like playing Batman in The Dark Knight. He didn’t want his life to be all about work, and saw how fame hurt some actors. Instead, he chose smaller, less famous projects, but never stopped acting.
Recently, Hartnett worked with director Christopher Nolan in Oppenheimer and stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s movie Trap, where he plays a dad who might be a serial killer.
Hartnett now focuses on working with people he trusts and balancing fame with his love for acting.
“I’ve figured out that as much as you’re worried about curating your career to things you’re interested in, I don’t believe that’s the most important thing any more,. It’s about finding people who you really trust.”
Folks sympathized with Hartnett about how difficult it must have been.
People were glad to know that he was able to prioritize himself and step away for a bit.
One person had a quibble about the wording, though.
Hartnett was and is a very beloved actor, and people often couldn't help themselves but reminisce about his old roles.
Many people imagined how recent superhero movies might have been different with Hartnett on the poster.
Some people were clearly just beginning to process his new role in Trap.
But generally, people were just glad he came back to acting in larger films.
Trap is out in theaters in the U.S. as of August 2nd.
@skylergisondo/Instagram
@Pretefunkera/X
@bonnieblue2025/X
@Andie00471/X
