Josh Hartnett Recalls Stalking Incident That Led Him To Step Away From Hollywood

With his movie career once again in high gear, Josh Hartnett is looking back on the troubling circumstances that prompted him to retreat from the spotlight at a time when he seemed destined for Hollywood megastardom. 

Speaking to The Guardian this weekend to promote his new film, Trap,  Hartnett opened up about turning down the role of Superman in two separate projects. He said he arrived at that decision after hed grown distressed at the amount of attention he was receiving from fans and the media. 

Peoples attention to me at the time was borderline unhealthy, he explained. There were incidents. People showed up at my house. People that were stalking me.

The breaking point, Hartnett said, was when a guy showed up at one of my premieres with a gun, claiming to be my father. He ended up in prison. According to the outlet, that incident took place in 2005, around the same time that the Minnesota-born actor was rising to matinee idol status following a string of films like Wicker Park and Sin City. 

In addition to passing on the chance to portray Superman twice, Hartnett also acknowledged hed been approached by director Christopher Nolan to play Batman in The Dark Night before Christian Bale landed the role. 

I just didnt want my life to be swallowed up by my work, he said. And there was a notion at that time you just kind of give it all up. And you saw what happened to some people back then. They got obliterated by it. I didnt want that for myself.

In reality, Hartnett never gave up acting completely. However, he notably began opting for more offbeat, less high-profile projects from that point onward. And though he continued to receive acclaim for his performances, that didnt stop many outlets from assuming hed turned his back on his chosen profession altogether. 

Interestingly, Hartnett went on to work with Nolan in last years Oscar-winning smash Oppenheimer, in which he had a supporting role. He returns to the big screen with a starring role in M. Night Shyamalan s Trap, out Friday. The thriller follows Cooper (played by Hartnett), a seemingly doting dad who accompanies his teen daughter (Ariel Donoghue) to a pop concert.

As is Shyamalans cinematic signature, however, theres a big twist when its revealed that Hartnetts character may also be a suspected serial killer on the run from the authorities. 

Of course, only time will tell if Trap leads to a full-blown Hartnettissance , as some have predicted . Either way, Hartnett says hes come to adapt a more balanced approach when it comes to pursuing acting projects while avoiding the pitfalls of fame. 

Ive figured out that as much as youre worried about curating your career to things youre interested in, I dont believe thats the most important thing any more, he told The Guardian. Its about finding people who you really trust.