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Long before the time of Henry Cavill, Glen Powell, Tom Holland, or Jack Elordi — Josh Hartnett used to be the hot crush of every other teenage girl and woman. The Hollywood actor was not only one of the most famous actors back in the late 90s and early 2000s but he was also ‘the Hollywood icon’ of that time. But unlike actors who would take the fan appeal as a stepping stone to climb higher in their careers, Hartnett made the conscious decision of stepping away from fame.
Although he only ever did stopped working for 18 months or so, he was not doing the leading or hottest new roles that everyone expected him to be. Instead, he was out there in unknown territories, working in indie films and alike which helped challenge his acting ability and widened his horizons.
In the midst of all this, when he was still at the height of his career, the actor was reportedly offered the role of Man of Steel, which he, unsurprisingly declined. Despite Superman being one of the most famous superheroes of all time and a character that most actors would sell their kidneys to portray, Hartnett had other plans. Read on to know why Josh Hartnett decided to let go of the role and whether he regrets it or not today.
Josh Hartnett was offered the role of Superman twice!
Josh Hartnettused to be one of the biggest actors in Hollywood and given his popularity he was, needless to say, in high demand. Hartnett garnered the attention of fans, media, and the film industry with films like 1998’sThe Faculty, 1999’sThe Virgin Suicides, and 2001’sBlack Hawk Down. But it was the critically acclaimedPearl Harbourthat truly propelled him to fame. Since then he went on to star in several other critically acclaimed films and was constantly at the top when it came to ‘the most popular actor’ list.
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Back in 2001, Vanity Fair published a profile titledThe Making of Josh Hartnett, which focused on the megastardom he had achieved in considerably a short period of time. His manager even went on to state how he was the talk of Tinseltown and that every other casting director wanted him.
When he went out, every single call, he got a callback on, which is pretty much unheard of. And on top of that, casting directors were calling other casting directors telling them that they should meet him. That’s a huge buzz you can’t buy in Hollywood. That’s just a gift from the heavens.
So, it was not surprising that in the early 2000s, Hartnett was offered not once but twice the role of DC’s Superman. Apparently, he was offered the chance to portray the celebrated fictional character in Bryan Singer’s 2006 flick,Superman, which eventually went to actorBrandon Routh. Later, he was once again offered the role in JJ Abrams’Superman: Flyby. While the film never took off, the actor apparently made it as far as the costume test before backing down (viaComicBook.com).
The reason why Josh Hartnett said no to playing Superman
There was once a time that Josh Hartnett was considered the ‘new Tom Cruise,’ but before he could rise up to the level, Hartnett decided to walk away from big studio films and ended up laying low for the better part of the last decade and more. And that is one of the reasons why the actor decided to reject the role of the man from Krypton, not once but twice.
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Over the years the actor has spoken at length about how he was offered the role and why he rejected it, even once stating in 2010 that the role was not up his alley (viaAbout.com). Back in 2021, during his ‘resurgence’ with Guy Ritchie’sWrath of Man, he revealed toThe Journalthat it felt natural to turn down the superhero role.
At the time, it was so obvious to me to turn it down. I was being offered movies by the very top directors. And Superman was a risk. Yes, there was a lot of money involved, but I didn’t think that was the be-all and end-all.
Then in a more recent interview withThe Guardian, Hartnett remarked he did not want to be tied down by contracts and a role that had the potential to take too much of his time.
I just didn’t want my life to be swallowed up by my work. And there was a notion at that time you 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.
However, while talking about saying no to the role multiple times, Hartnett remarked toVarietythat it wasa very privileged place for a young man to be in.But given that he had the chance to say no and an opportunity to steer his career in the way he wanted, thePearl Harbourstar took the leap of faith and said no.
Josh Hartnett did not want to become somebody else’s puppet
Being famous is not easy for once an actor reaches that threshold, it becomes increasingly complex to remain so and one wrong move can derail the entire career. So when Josh Hartnett was at the height of his fame, the actor knew he would have to pretty much follow a rulebook to remain relevant and have his career be guided by the thought of ‘business’ and ‘profit’ instead of what he wanted to do in his profession.
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And when it comes to playing Superman, he knew he was at the risk of losing his ‘freedom’ if he chose to do the role by the possibility of being ‘typecast.’ While talking to The Journal, he revealed how he was being treated as a commodity rather than an actor and a human being during that time.
… I was considered quite a commodity in the business and I wanted my character to chew gum in a scene. It was run up so many flagpoles and it was the subject of conversation for days and in the end, they decided just no. They had an idea of what they thought they could sell with me in it, or what the persona is that people wanted to see from me. And it didn’t involve chewing gum.
Being micromanaged was not easy for Hartnett, an actor who was sure about the career path he wanted to take. Yet, he was at an age where it wasvery easy to become someone else’s tool or someone else’s puppet.Thus, being fully aware of the choices he wanted to make, the actor admitted toMetrothat he has no regret whatsoever about missing out on the role.
Even though the role would have come with a very lucrative offer and a huge paycheck, Josh Hartnett couldn’t help but remark thatmoney only takes one so far(via The Journal), and he wasn’t willing to pay the price if things ended up going the wrong way.
And this is perhaps one of the many reasons why Josh Hartnett is as relevant and famous as he is today. A fine actor and an even finer human being, it is commendable to see how he put his career aspirations above the golden perks of the film industry and decided to carve his own way instead of being controlled by studio executives and profit margins.
Maria Sultan
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2703
Maria Sultan is a dedicated News Content Writer at FandomWire. With over five years of professional experience and hundreds of published articles, she brings a wealth of expertise to her coverage of Marvel, K-dramas, and the latest on streaming platforms.Her work is not just about reporting news; it’s about providing insightful perspectives on the entertainment trends that matter most.
