Traumatic incident

Why Josh Hartnett turned his back on Hollywood

Josh Hartnett reveals why he turned his back on Hollywood(Bild: AP/Scott A Garfitt/Invision)

With successful films such as "Black Hawk Down" and "40 Days and 40 Nights", he was well on his way to becoming a Hollywood superstar in the early 2000s. But at the zenith of his career, Josh Hartnett shocked everyone by deciding to avoid the limelight altogether.

In "The Guardian", the 46-year-old now revealed what prompted him to voluntarily withdraw from the A-list: fear of his crazy fans.

"Superman" role rejected
Hartnett revealed that he had even received offers to finally establish himself as a megastar either in the role of the new "Superman" or as Batman in "The Dark Knight".

Josh Hartnett(Bild: AP/Andy Kropa/Invision)

Traumatic incident
But he turned down both offers. The reason: "The attention I got from people was often bordering on the unhealthy. There were incidents. People suddenly turned up outside my house and stalked me." 

One guy turned up at a premiere with a gun and claimed to be my father. He ended up in prison.

Josh Hartnett

After a traumatic incident in 2005, he finally decided that he wanted to give up his Hollywood career: "A guy turned up at a premiere with a gun and claimed to be my father. He ended up in prison."

Josh Hartnett has now spoken for the first time about why he retired.(Bild: AP/Scott A Garfitt/Invision)

Smaller projects since 2015
From 2011, Hartnett withdrew from the film industry: "I had decided that I didn't want to be swallowed up by my work. I witnessed what happened to a few of my colleagues. They were literally destroyed and I didn't want that for myself." From 2015 onwards, Hartnett was again engaged for smaller projects.

Nevertheless, many believed that the star had retired completely - until he made a comeback last year in a supporting role in "Oppenheimer". This is now followed by his first major leading role in over 16 years. In M. Night Shyamalan's new thriller "Trap", he plays a father who accompanies his teenage daughter to a pop concert. In reality, this turns out to be a trap for a mass murderer.