Josh Hartnett on Why He Chose a Quieter Life in England Over L.A. and New York

Two decades after leaving Los Angeles at the height of his fame, Josh Hartnett has spoken candidly about his decision to step away from the spotlight.

“I just didn’t want my life to be swallowed up by my work,” the 46-year-old actor shared in an interview with The Guardian. “There was a notion at that time to 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.”

Hartnett’s journey in Hollywood started with notable roles in indie films like “The Faculty” and “The Virgin Suicides” in the late 1990s. His big break came with lead roles in 2001’s “Black Hawk Down” and “Pearl Harbor,” followed by “40 Days and 40 Nights” in 2002.

Despite his rising fame, Hartnett wasn’t fond of the celebrity status and the hero-or-heartthrob roles he was being offered. Soon after these blockbuster hits, he decided to step back, moving to his home state of Minnesota and cutting ties with his agents. After an 18-month hiatus, he returned to the industry, opting for smaller indie films instead of high-budget projects.

Now, the “Pearl Harbor” star lives in the United Kingdom on a marriage visa with his wife, British actor Tamsin Egerton. The two met on the set of Roland Joffe’s movie “The Lovers” in 2011 and started dating the following year. They welcomed their first child in 2015 and eventually moved to the British countryside. In 2022, Hartnett revealed that they had secretly married in 2021.

According to Hartnett, village life in the UK allows him more time with his children than his previous fast-paced life in New York and Los Angeles. “People only want to talk about your career in New York and L.A.,” he told The Guardian. But in the U.K., “nobody cares.”

“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 8½ now — that feels like it happened in the last two years to me. So I’m trying to soak up as much as possible,” Hartnett reflected.

In his latest project “Trap,” Hartnett stars as a devoted father who takes his daughter to a pop star’s concert. However, in true M. Night Shyamalan fashion—known for twist endings like in “The Sixth Sense” and “The Village”—the trailer reveals a shocking twist: the dad is actually a serial killer known as the Butcher.

“Trap” will be released in U.S. theaters on Friday.

Source: The Guardian, Los Angeles Times