Josh Hartnett Reveals Why He Didn’t Take Superman or Batman Roles

Josh Hartnett made his movie debut in 1998 in Halloween: H20 and went on to appear in films such as The Faculty, The Virgin Suicides, Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, and much more. In recent years, he became known for Penny Dreadful and was last seen in the Kevin Hart-led Quibi comedy, Die Hart, in which he played himself. During a recent chat with Metro, the actor talked about turning down big superhero roles like Batman and Superman in the past.

Hartnett revealed in the interview that back when he turned down roles like Batman and Superman, he felt that “at that age it is very easy to become someone else’s tool or someone else’s puppet.” He explained, “I was very aware of the choices I was making and I wanted them to be my choices.”

“There were a lot of powers that wanted me to pursue those films, but I have always been interested in stories about people and I didn’t want to be boxed into that superhero type,” Harnett shared. “Back then a lot of actors had to fight really hard to get their career back after they played those characters.”

Harnett revealed that he doesn’t regret turning down the big roles, but shared that it “didn’t seem like the sort of decision I would be talking about 15 years later.” This isn’t the first time Harnett has been asked about turning down Batman and Superman. Five years ago, the actor spoke to Playboy discussed his decision to pass on playing Christopher Nolan’s Batman, a role that ultimately went to Christian Bale.

“I’ve definitely said no to some of the wrong people,” he explained. “I learned my lesson when Christopher Nolan and I talked about Batman. I decided it wasn’t for me. Then he didn’t want to put me in The Prestige.” He added, “I was so focused on not being pigeonholed and so scared of being considered only one thing as an actor … Watching Christian Bale go on to do so many other things has been just awesome. I mean, he’s been able to overcome that. Why couldn’t I see that at the time?”

“I know now that I wouldn’t turn something down just because it’s a superhero role,” Harnett explained.

Would you have liked to have seen Josh Hartnett be a superhero? Tell us in the comments!

Hartnett will be seen next in Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man, which is expected to release in January.