Josh Hartnett on why he disappeared from screens for years

After Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down and The Faculty, Josh Hartnett was destined for the status of a new Hollywood star. But at the age of 22, he decided to distance himself from blockbusters… He explains it today.

Josh Hartnett could have become one of the biggest stars of his generation. After The FacultyThen Pearl Harbor And Black Hawk Downthe actor was everywhere at the end of the 20th century. And Hollywood clearly wanted to make him its new hunk. Then, at just 22 years old, he decided to give up.

Years later, when he returned to the forefront with Oppenheimer in 2023 and is now showing in VerityHartnett returns to this period in the podcast Scene Stealers.

“I was on pause in people’s minds I think… And that suits me very well. You know, in a way it allowed me to come back and be seen as someone new again.”

At the time, Josh Hartnett had become a real phenomenon.

Hollywood was pushing him as the new sex symbol. But he himself didn’t know exactly what he wanted to be:

“It kind of felt like I was everywhere when I didn’t even know who I was yet…It’s not like I rejected the whole concept. What I rejected was the idea that this was the only thing I wanted to do with my life.”

Josh Hartnett refused to let it define his entire career.

He was 22 when he finished Black Hawk Down. And rather than immediately following up with a new blockbuster, he decided to take a break.

“I was 22 and decided to take about a year off. I wrote a script. I also wanted to try new things…“

A desire which went back in particular to his experience on Virgin Suicides by Sofia Coppola, released in 1999, in which he played Trip Fontaine opposite Kirsten Dunst, Kathleen Turner and James Woods. An important turning point for the young actor.

“I loved making this film. I wanted to find other films that were like this.”

But this decision did not necessarily please those who worked with him. Because when a young actor is on the rise, an entire industry begins to depend on his ability to string together big films:

“When you’re asked to make one big movie after another, and people are counting on you – that part of their income depends on you making these big movies – they tend to get frustrated when you decide to make movies for no money. And so, for a while, I myself moved away from the business side of the profession.“

A decision that kept him away from big productions for two decades. But looking back, Josh Hartnett doesn’t seem to regret it. After Oppenheimerwhich gave him new international exposure, then Verityhe finally managed to return to Hollywood without having to revert to being exactly the star the industry wanted to manufacture when he was 22.