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\n Related: <\/span>It’s Time We Talk About the Josh Hartnett Renaissance: Where to Watch Him<\/span><\/a>
\n\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n\t\t\tRon Davis\/Getty Images Don\u2019t call it a comeback because Josh Hartnett has been a bona fide heartthrob since the late \u201890s \u2014 but there\u2019s no denying the actor has been experiencing a major renaissance since stepping back into the spotlight over the past few years. Hartnett first rose to fame in the horror genre, making [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Us Weekly:<\/strong> You are stabbed, punched and pelted at every turn in this film. You\u2019re even in danger of being sucked out of the airplane! Why submit to that punishment?<\/p>\nJosh Hartnett:<\/strong> [That] was the conceit of the film when it was sent to me. [Our producers] also did John Wick<\/em> and they were like, \u201cKeanu [Reeves]<\/strong> does his own stunts.\u201d And I was like, \u201cYeah, I know.\u201d And they were like, \u201cWell, do you wanna do your own stunts? It would really make the movie better.\u201d And I was like, \u201cYeah, of course I do.\u201d In your forties like I was, not many people are asking you to go out and do your own stunts and film. So it was such a unique challenge and also just a fun opportunity to have some of the greatest, most fantastic stunt teams around me helping choreograph.<\/p>\nUs:<\/strong> Were there any stunts you didn\u2019t do yourself?<\/p>\nJH:<\/strong> I had a wonderful stunt double who helped preface all of the fights. And he did one stunt for me that I wasn\u2019t allowed to do. So aside from that one stunt, I did everything else. That was the one where the character\u2019s thrown into the bar. Because the glass was not breakaway enough for production and they were worried that I was gonna get cut badly and then we\u2019d have to stop production. So that was the only thing that I wasn\u2019t allowed to do. But the rest of it\u2019s me. And it was pretty demanding.<\/p>\n\n<\/div>
\n Josh Hartnett<\/span> Peter Jarowey\/Vertical<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUs:<\/strong> Were you on board with your characters\u2019 eclectic look and blonde hair? How involved were you in the creative decisions?<\/p>\nJH:<\/strong> That was my choice. These are all my choices. The blonde thing was just a logic thing for me. He\u2019s been in Bangkok for two years. He\u2019s been hiding from people that have been trying to kill him. He\u2019s done everything to hide himself. I wanted to show that he\u2019s sort of given up. And this was a ridiculous thing that he tried, dyeing his hair, that it was still kind of present because he didn\u2019t really care anymore and he was on his last legs. I like meeting the character at the lowest point in his life and then taking him even lower, in a way. Then he becomes an unreliable hero, which I think is more fun for the audience to be a part of, because they don\u2019t know if he\u2019s going to win, or even if they want him to win.<\/p>\nUs:<\/strong> I was rooting for him fully. This movie is so funny and the blooper reel would probably be crazy. What would your contribution be?<\/p>\nJH:<\/strong> There\u2019d be so many times I hit my head on those f***ing baggage compartments there at head height \u2014 like, there\u2019s no room on a plane to fight. And I was getting pummeled into those things in every single scene. The blooper reel would just be me. Like, oh, my neck, \u2019cause it just kept hitting that thing. But we didn\u2019t have any time to reset or to recalibrate or to recover. We had to keep going and we had 25 days to shoot the whole thing. So it was just one after the other, after the other. Sometimes shooting two different scenes and two different sequences at the same time, or working one out while we were shooting the other one.<\/p>\nUs:<\/strong> I bump my head on those things even when I\u2019m just on a plane.<\/p>\nJH:<\/strong> Try having a 250-pound Bulgarian stunt guy hit you from the side into one of those things!<\/p>\nUs:<\/strong> No, thank you! You\u2019re so funny in this movie. Would you ever return to rom-coms?<\/p>\nJH:<\/strong> I\u2019ve got one that I\u2019m working on! I can\u2019t say anything about it because it\u2019s not happening yet, but I\u2019ve got a script we\u2019ve been quietly putting together that would be kind of in the rom-com genre.<\/p>\n\n![\"Josh.](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/JoshHartnettFightorFlight2_ac8332.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Peter Jarowey\/Vertical<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nUs:<\/strong> You\u2019ve been going full force these past few years. Are you craving a break at all?<\/p>\nJH:<\/strong> I\u2019m balancing like crazy. I\u2019ve got a lot of time at home. I\u2019ve shot one film in the last 18 months. [My wife Tamsin Egerton<\/strong> and I] had a baby. I wanted to be at home with the baby for as long as I could, so I spent 13 months at home after he was born. Then I went and shot Verity<\/em> and now I\u2019m gonna go shoot something else this summer. But I am definitely taking as much time with my family as possible. At the same time, when I go away, I wanna make it worth it. And I\u2019ve been very, very lucky to be working with great people and [be] making films that people are seeing. So it feels like I\u2019m doing a lot more than I am maybe.<\/p>\nUs:<\/strong> And the range of your projects is so varied. What goes into choosing what roles you play?<\/p>\n\n![\"Fight](\"https:\/\/www.usmagazine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/22_FightOrFlight.jpg?w=1000&quality=86&strip=all\")
<\/div>Peter Jarowey\/Vertical<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nJH:<\/strong> Is it unique? Is it something I haven\u2019t done before? Can I be surprising? Is it surprising to me? Would it be interesting for me to be a part of because it\u2019s new? And then, will it be interesting to an audience to see me do it? Can I pull it off? That\u2019s another part of it. [With Fight or Flight<\/em>],I was like, \u201cCan I still do this? I wanna see if I can.\u201d And then once I commit to something, I really make sure that I can do it. I don\u2019t want to mess with anybody and I want to make sure that when you go have the experience of watching a film that I\u2019m in, you\u2019re being completely entertained.<\/p>\nUs:<\/strong> Fight or Flight<\/em> ends on a major cliffhanger. Could we see you in a sequel?<\/p>\n\n
Josh Hartnett:<\/strong> [That] was the conceit of the film when it was sent to me. [Our producers] also did John Wick<\/em> and they were like, \u201cKeanu [Reeves]<\/strong> does his own stunts.\u201d And I was like, \u201cYeah, I know.\u201d And they were like, \u201cWell, do you wanna do your own stunts? It would really make the movie better.\u201d And I was like, \u201cYeah, of course I do.\u201d In your forties like I was, not many people are asking you to go out and do your own stunts and film. So it was such a unique challenge and also just a fun opportunity to have some of the greatest, most fantastic stunt teams around me helping choreograph.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> Were there any stunts you didn\u2019t do yourself?<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> I had a wonderful stunt double who helped preface all of the fights. And he did one stunt for me that I wasn\u2019t allowed to do. So aside from that one stunt, I did everything else. That was the one where the character\u2019s thrown into the bar. Because the glass was not breakaway enough for production and they were worried that I was gonna get cut badly and then we\u2019d have to stop production. So that was the only thing that I wasn\u2019t allowed to do. But the rest of it\u2019s me. And it was pretty demanding.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> Were you on board with your characters\u2019 eclectic look and blonde hair? How involved were you in the creative decisions?<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> That was my choice. These are all my choices. The blonde thing was just a logic thing for me. He\u2019s been in Bangkok for two years. He\u2019s been hiding from people that have been trying to kill him. He\u2019s done everything to hide himself. I wanted to show that he\u2019s sort of given up. And this was a ridiculous thing that he tried, dyeing his hair, that it was still kind of present because he didn\u2019t really care anymore and he was on his last legs. I like meeting the character at the lowest point in his life and then taking him even lower, in a way. Then he becomes an unreliable hero, which I think is more fun for the audience to be a part of, because they don\u2019t know if he\u2019s going to win, or even if they want him to win.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> I was rooting for him fully. This movie is so funny and the blooper reel would probably be crazy. What would your contribution be?<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> There\u2019d be so many times I hit my head on those f***ing baggage compartments there at head height \u2014 like, there\u2019s no room on a plane to fight. And I was getting pummeled into those things in every single scene. The blooper reel would just be me. Like, oh, my neck, \u2019cause it just kept hitting that thing. But we didn\u2019t have any time to reset or to recalibrate or to recover. We had to keep going and we had 25 days to shoot the whole thing. So it was just one after the other, after the other. Sometimes shooting two different scenes and two different sequences at the same time, or working one out while we were shooting the other one.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> I bump my head on those things even when I\u2019m just on a plane.<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> Try having a 250-pound Bulgarian stunt guy hit you from the side into one of those things!<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> No, thank you! You\u2019re so funny in this movie. Would you ever return to rom-coms?<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> I\u2019ve got one that I\u2019m working on! I can\u2019t say anything about it because it\u2019s not happening yet, but I\u2019ve got a script we\u2019ve been quietly putting together that would be kind of in the rom-com genre.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> You\u2019ve been going full force these past few years. Are you craving a break at all?<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> I\u2019m balancing like crazy. I\u2019ve got a lot of time at home. I\u2019ve shot one film in the last 18 months. [My wife Tamsin Egerton<\/strong> and I] had a baby. I wanted to be at home with the baby for as long as I could, so I spent 13 months at home after he was born. Then I went and shot Verity<\/em> and now I\u2019m gonna go shoot something else this summer. But I am definitely taking as much time with my family as possible. At the same time, when I go away, I wanna make it worth it. And I\u2019ve been very, very lucky to be working with great people and [be] making films that people are seeing. So it feels like I\u2019m doing a lot more than I am maybe.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> And the range of your projects is so varied. What goes into choosing what roles you play?<\/p>\n JH:<\/strong> Is it unique? Is it something I haven\u2019t done before? Can I be surprising? Is it surprising to me? Would it be interesting for me to be a part of because it\u2019s new? And then, will it be interesting to an audience to see me do it? Can I pull it off? That\u2019s another part of it. [With Fight or Flight<\/em>],I was like, \u201cCan I still do this? I wanna see if I can.\u201d And then once I commit to something, I really make sure that I can do it. I don\u2019t want to mess with anybody and I want to make sure that when you go have the experience of watching a film that I\u2019m in, you\u2019re being completely entertained.<\/p>\n Us:<\/strong> Fight or Flight<\/em> ends on a major cliffhanger. Could we see you in a sequel?<\/p>\n
\n Josh Hartnett<\/span> Peter Jarowey\/Vertical<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div><\/div>