Josh Hartnett is promoting M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap. Hartnett is the lead, and it sees him playing against type as what seems like a serial killer hiding in plain sight as a normal dad at a concert. The promotion for Trap has leaned into the Hartnett Renaissance, because Oppenheimer was probably the first time many people had seen Josh in anything in more than a decade. Josh does seem to be in the middle of some kind of career renaissance, although he really has been working this whole time. It’s just that it’s felt like a career slump because barely anyone was watching his stuff. Hartnett recently spoke to the Guardian about all of that, plus he made it clear that he did take some time off over the years to be a hands-on father. Which is nice.

He lives in Hampshire countryside with 4 kids & assorted animals: The goats, Hartnett notes, are his favourites. “They’re the sweetest animals on the planet. They’re like dogs. They would live in the house if they could. In fact, I’ve seen people having their goats in the house with diapers on, but we felt that was kinda cruel.”

His status in the UK: Unlike when he’s in New York or LA, “where people only want to talk about your career,” he says, here “nobody cares”, which is just how he likes it. He’s in the UK on a marriage visa, which means he can only be out of the country for work 180 days a year, or roughly one movie, which also suits him fine. At night, after the kids have been put to bed, he sometimes finds time to paint – his first love. But mostly, he says, this existence allows him to experience his children growing up in a way he otherwise wouldn’t.

Prioritizing fatherhood over career: “This is all brand new to me. I never would have expected it. And time passes quickly. With four children, you have so much to do. In a way, less is happening. But more of the important stuff is happening. My oldest daughter is eight and a half now – that feels like it happened in the last two years to me. So I’m trying to soak up as much as possible.”

Taking a step back from being a movie star: “I just didn’t want my life to be swallowed up by my work. 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 didn’t want that for myself.”

He’s not the ingenue: “Maybe it’s also because of my age. I could name a million examples of actors who have become more interesting as they get older. You can’t be an ingenue forever, right?”

Missed opportunities: “I recognise the missed opportunity to work with a guy like Chris [Nolan]. And 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.”

Discomfort with the attention: “People’s attention to me at the time was borderline unhealthy… I don’t want to give this a lot of weight. There were incidents. People showed up at my house. People that were stalking me.” At one point, he says, “a guy showed up at one of my premieres with a gun, claiming to be my father. He ended up in prison.” Harnett was 27 at the time – this was 19 years ago. “There were lots of things. It was a weird time. And I wasn’t going to be grist for the mill.”

On politics: Hartnett campaigned for Obama, and has met Biden a couple of times. “He had a wonderful grasp of the issues and was incredibly eloquent, but I don’t know where we’re at these days. That debate was frightening.” Mostly, thinking of the Trump shooting, he’s fearful of where the US is heading. And not just for us – but what we leave for those after us. “We’re in a transitional moment. The rhetoric is so hot. It’s tragic. And you have fears that the democracy might not be able to withstand those shocks. As you and I experienced recently, life goes quickly. We’re the next generation to go. Do we want to spend all that time fighting each other?”

[From The Guardian]

The Guardian obviously spoke to him before Joe Biden withdrew from the race, and I would be curious to know Hartnett’s opinion on Kamala Harris. I’m not suggesting he’s secretly a hater or anything, I’m just curious if he’ll say anything. Anyway, I like the way Hartnett speaks about wanting a simpler, less-career-driven life. He’s not making bold proclamations about “this is the way it should be done,” he’s just like… this is what works for me, my priority is being a father, I don’t really give a sh-t about fame. His perspective is the same as so many working-mom actresses.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images.