Josh Hartnett says stalking incidents caused him to give up his career

Actor Josh Hartnett has revealed why he turned down two roles in superhero films even though he seemed destined for superstardom.

Hartnett, who stars in M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming psychological thriller, Catchtold the British Guardian newspaper that the attention he received played a role in his decision to leave Hollywood at the height of his popularity. He said:

“The attention people were giving me at the time was borderline unhealthy. There were incidents. People showed up at my house. People stalking me.” At one point, he revealed, “a guy showed up at one of my premieres with a gun and claimed to be my father. He ended up in jail.”

“There were a lot of things. It was a strange time. And I didn’t want to be grist to people’s mill.”

Hartnett revealed that not only did he turn down the role of Superman twice, but he also chatted with director Christopher Nolan about Batman, a role that ultimately went to Christian Bale:

“I just didn’t want my life to be consumed by my work. And back then, there was this idea of ​​just giving up everything. And you saw what happened to some people back then. They were destroyed by it. I didn’t want that for myself.”

Hartnett revealed his regret that he had not worked with Nolan at the time, which he attributed to his performance as a nuclear scientist in Nolan’s Oscar-winning Oppenheimer. He said:

“I recognize the missed opportunity of working with a guy like Chris. And I realized that as much as you worry about aligning your career with things that interest you, I don’t think that’s the most important thing anymore. It’s about finding people you really trust.”