Josh Hartnett in M. Night Shyamalan's 'Trap' is a whole new Josh Hartnett (2024)

"He's not just a villain, he's also the protagonist of the film."

M. Night Shyamalan is probably the only person who looked at Josh Hartnett and thought he'd make a great serial killer, but Hartnett is glad he did. "This is going to surprise people. It's a little bit different than other films that he's made." In Trap, Hartnett plays Cooper, a killer inadvertently lured to a concert with his teenage daughter as a trap set up by authorities to catch him. While that may seem like it's giving too much of the plot away, Hartnett says viewers will see there's so much more going on. "It's all about your hope that people will be taken on the journey, and you don't want to ruin it for them." Fresh off appearing in last year's Best Picture Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, there's been renewed interest in his past work. "It's nice to hear that people are responding to films I did earlier in my career because I think a lot of them were really cool." Hartnett skyrocketed to fame at 20 with hits like The Faculty and The Virgin Suicides. "I didn't think I was going to be successful. And then when the movies became successful, it was almost confusing."

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Editor's Note: This conversation has been edited and condensed for publication.

So many people are eager to see Trap!

I'm excited to see what people think of it. It's kind of such a film that comes out of left field. And Night is, you know, he's created an audience for all of his films, but I think that this is going to surprise people. It's a little bit different than other films that he's made. He's been pretty forthright in saying that.

I mean, yes. People's first reactions to the trailer were that it gave away too much. But Night is like, wait, there's more...

I think it's classic Night in that his films are always looking at different genres. From a unique perspective, it's very much a thriller, from the perspective of a typical antagonist. And then it just sort of spins out from there. I'm really excited for people to see it. I'm very proud of the work that we did in it, and I had a terrific experience with Night and would love to work with him again. We really want people to see it so we can do it again.

What was it like getting that call from M. Night Shyamalan? Were you a fan of his other work? How exciting was it for you to get that call?

Very exciting. I think he's one of the most singular filmmakers working today. I've worked with quite a few really interesting and singular filmmakers over the course of my career, and quite a few as of late, and I just find working with people that have that sort of unique perspective and the ability to create a film that continues that unique perspective and gives it to an audience unabated by all the powers that be is the most gratifying experience you can have as an actor. Night on set, there's no other person giving him notes as to what he can or cannot do. If he finds what you're doing intriguing, you're gonna be able to do it. So I've heard that about him and I've had friends who've worked with him, so I've always been fascinated by the concept of working with him, not knowing what it would be like, because he's so secretive. So, to get the call from him was, I think, just another in a great series of lucky circ*mstances that occurred in my career as of late and also, just like a dream come true. I've been a fan of his since basically I first started as well. I think it was '99 when The Sixth Sense came out. That film changed a lot of people's perspectives on what a modern ghost story [is], in that case, but with a thriller kind of technique, with all that suspense. He was being called a modern Hitchco*ck at that time, a new Spielberg, and it's a lot to live up to for a young guy. He had ambitions that went in a different direction, I think, than anybody would have thought at that time. I think he's proven that his sensibility is unique. And I just find that that whole kind of ability to work with people that are on that level is just really inspiring.

How do you not let knowing the twist impact your performance?

For most of the actors, they don't have a full script. But being in I think nearly every scene in the film, I had the script and was able to work through it with Night for months before we started. So we had a really strong sense of where we want to go with character. I think part of creating that level of suspense is totally within Night's control as a filmmaker and the shots that he uses in the way that he edits, but also the surprise element. I think acting is all about being in that moment and allowing the world to come to you. I hate to use actor speak because it's always really annoying, but you don't want to play the end of the scene at the beginning of the scene. Your character has to go through something and he has to learn something. You have to keep fresh at the beginning of each take. It's all just about being in there, fully in the moment, and that works in all films, but Night's films in particular. I think the biggest challenge was that this character, if you know anything about sociopaths–I don't know what your love life is [laughs]–it's hard to rattle a sociopath. So looking at a character from the perspective of a sociopath, or looking at the situation of the walls are closing in and everybody's getting closer, he's just getting more and more thrilled by the experience. The way that he's blooming over the course of this experience is at odds with how you would normally experience a thriller, where somebody becomes more and more nervous. I don't want to give too much away, but it's fun. It has a sense of fun about it. And because of the character, it's necessarily odd in a good, fun way. And hopefully a new fresh way. I feel like it is. And so the elements of surprise feel entirely different in something like this than they would to a normal person like you or me.

I would fully give away the plot if I were in a film like this. Did you have any anxiety over accidentally giving away the plot?

I like to talk as well. I find myself giving things away occasionally, but luckily to people that stayed tight-lipped. It's difficult in a scene with an actor who wants to know where their character's going and what might be the outcome of this situation, you can't tell them precisely what's going to happen. But they understand, everybody's signed up to be in an M. Night Shyamalan movie. They know that they're getting into a situation where they might not have all the answers. And that's fun in its own right, because that's not the usual kind of film for people to be working on. I mean, the anxiety is there, for sure, and I can be pretty cavalier with my conversation. So I had to watch myself a little bit, especially with friends and family who are like, "What is it you're working on?" I had another situation recently, where I did just a scene on The Bear. All of my friends and family, when they found out, they were like, "Why don't you tell us?" I was like, "I was just dying to tell you because I love the show. But I didn't want to ruin the surprise." So, it's all about your hope that people will be taken on the journey and you don't want to ruin it for them. And that's kind of the fun. Definitely. I just got to watch myself.

I would fail miserably. I would be a lawsuit real quick.

It's okay, I'm gonna try not to reveal everything right here. Don't reveal everything good.

The concept of a serial killer trapped in a concert setting is so delicious. What about the premise of the setting excited you?

Well, first of all, Night showed me drawings, he made me listen to some of the music. The scale of it. I was like, "Well, are we going to have the budget left to shoot the film?" How can you put on this big concert with all these extras and still have something left to the shoot the film? He was able to capture that sort of mania that occurs in an audience of young people when they go to see a pop star. I mean, I just went to a Taylor Swift concert, my first with my kids, and he captured that, that essence, and I know he's gone to a few concerts himself to kind of scope it out. But just that intense fervor, that obsession with the music and the lyrics and all the kids that were there were schooled in the music beforehand, they were all given the soundtrack, essentially. And they became genuine fans. So it was much easier to be in that environment where you're watching this whole concert take place, and it feels real because the kids around you are genuinely invested. That was quite a feat. And it could have gone really badly. I think the way that it was laid out and the people that they chose to be involved, it just made for a really electric environment. It felt very much like a real concert.

What about playing a really dark and twisted person interested you?

Well, so much of just getting an odd psychology excites me when you get a script, but also the script has to be extremely entertaining. So, when you can get that combination, I couldn't wait to sign up. To kind of go back to your initial question, I didn't get a call from him, I got a script. They sent me the script, and they were like keep this under wraps. Not even my agents were allowed to read it. So I read it and was like, "Oh, this is, as Night would say, a delicious concept." And then I was able to speak to Night about it because Night writes his own scripts, storyboards his own work, shoots his own films, even finances them. A lot of it is in the telling, the way that he explains what's going to happen as opposed to what's on the page. Because if you get a script from XYZ screenwriter, they're going to try to explain as much as they can into the world so that the director will then go along and shoot something that's similar to what they've envisioned. But in this case, Night has a shorthand with himself. And when we started talking about where the character is psychologically, and where we think the character should go, how far we should push him, I instantly started reading up on serial killers and on psychopathic tendencies and read a lot of case studies of people that are in asylums. I just became fascinated by how odd and cinematic their interactions were, especially if they knew that they were being interviewed for a book or TV show. How they started to comport themselves in a different way because they wanted the attention. That's really enticing. It is kind of a wild character to inhabit. But as a lot of actors have said in the past, if you get it right, it's kind of almost more fun to play a villain. And in this case, the ability to play both was really enticing. Because he's not just a villain, he's also the protagonist of the film. So we have to get to the bottom of why the hell he's doing what he's doing. I think it will be exciting. And the movie is not meant to be only for adults, it's meant to be for teenagers who will look at their parents in a different way after seeing this film, which is kind of fun.

Screwing up kids with terror. [laughs]

Either screwing them up or giving the kids a healthy respect for their parents.

Well, you mentioned your appearance on The Bear, which very much took the internet by surprise. I know you have a history with the show's creator, Christopher Storer. How much fun was it for you to be part of this season?

The response was so great, because it remained unexpected till the end, until people saw it. So there was no clue beforehand that I was going to be in it, which felt really gratifying. I was able to keep my mouth shut, which is great.

I could not. I would suck at that.

I'm working on it. I'm getting better at it. I mean, I did a movie with Chris Nolan last year [Oppenheimer]. I learned how to not say things. And, first of all, working with friends is always the best situation, especially talented friends. I mean, working with not very talented friends can be fun, but probably not going to be the best thing for your career. Working with really talented friends is the best situation that you can come across in your life. And seeing Chris [Storer] create this thing that's become such a phenomenon and to have them all, I mean, every one of the cast—I'm sure they've said this in public, so I'm not telling tales out of school—but they all thought they were going to shoot this really experimental, fun show that no one was going to see in that first season. And at the end of the season, they all just turned to each other like, "Well, bye guys. Maybe we'll see each other on a film set at some point." And then when it became the phenomenon it became, it was so unexpected that they all were just delighted to be able to come back and shoot again. And they all get along so well. It doesn't feel like work on that set. I know people have said a variation of that about many different sets, but this genuinely doesn't feel like work at all. All the other actors who are working on a particular day will show up on a day they're not working just to be there. To hang out with their friends. The whole city of Chicago seems to be kind of in league with them in a good way, excited that this show is showcasing Chicago in such an interesting light. Someone asked me a couple days ago when I was doing an interview, how did you keep it quiet? Why are there no pictures of you from being in Chicago? And I was like, I think everybody just has the show's back. If there were pictures, nobody released them. It's not like we were being that tight-lipped about it. Ebon [Moss-Bachrach] and I have known each other for a long time as well, from New York. So to be able to do that scene with Ebon—and Chris knew that Ebon and I knew each other, so it's just, he casts well, and he knows when he puts people together that these things are going to be interesting. And we only did a couple of takes and that was it. I went my own way to go do reshoots for Trap, and then it came out. So I really had very little to do with it except for my little tiny bit. And it's been surprising how people have reacted to it. But I'm very happy that they did. And I'm very happy that I kept my mouth shut.

You really are having a moment right now. Some are calling it a Josh Hartnett renaissance. How does it feel to be having such interest in your work right now?

Oh, good. That's really gratifying. I love making films. I've always loved making films. I had a different idea of what an interesting film was to, I think, the general public for a while. I think my appreciation for a certain type of film has changed in a way. And my appreciation for people seeing films as opposed to just going and making them in a vacuum, that's changed. Like I love the dialogue. And it's really gratifying to have an audience see a film when it comes out, as opposed to, two, three years later on Netflix, and then they tell you how much they love the film and you're like, "Well, where were you when it came out in the theater?" It's also very helpful to have a career that's current. But at the same time, it's all stories. It's the narrative that is taking hold right now. I was speaking to a really very famous actor years ago, and I made something that I really loved, and it just didn't catch fire at the box office, and he turned to me after—we were just having a conversation at some award ceremony—and he said, "Look, you're never as bad as they say you are. And you're never as good as they say you are. Just take it all with a pinch of salt." So I tend not to get too involved with all the stuff that people are saying. I'm just super happy that I get to work with good people and make, hopefully, good films. And it's nice to hear that people are responding to films I did earlier in my career and kind of reevaluating them, because I think a lot of them were really cool.

Well, speaking of your early career, it blew me away that your third film was The Virgin Suicides. Like all of your first films were either hits or critical successes. That's just amazing.

I had no idea what happened, but I thought that's how it happened. I didn't have a massive ambition to be an actor. I wanted to try it. I didn't think I was going to be successful. I enjoyed being on sets. And then when the movies became successful, it was like, almost confusing. And then the only way to kind of qualify that or make it fit within the story of my life that I understood was to say, "Oh, this is what happens. This is what happens to young actors, right?" They they get plucked out of obscurity and then suddenly, they're working with Robert Rodriguez and Sofia Coppola and Ridley Scott. That's just what happens. So I had no other context for it. I was also just extraordinarily lucky, and also trying to learn on the job because I was not a trained actor. Looking back, I haven't seen a lot of those earlier films, but I made some interesting characters and I think some interesting choices. I've always been someone that's not particularly interested in joining either. So I'm not like a big, "Yeah, sign me up. I'm all for this now this Hollywood life." So I tended to keep everything at arm's length anyway.

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