Josh Hartnett Finally Reveals Why He Turned His Back On Hollywood

Josh Hartnett has finally revealed why he turned his back on Hollywood and stopped being one of the most recognizable movie stars on the planet. Hartnett was one of the biggest stars in the game in the late 1990s and 2000s, appearing in big time Hollywood movies such as "Halloween H20: 20 Years Later" and "Sin City," while he probably most famously starred as Danny Walker in "Pearl Harbor." His performances netted him a slew of award nominations, with his "Pearl Harbor" appearance earning him an MTV Movie Award nomination for Best Male Performance as well as a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice Movie Actor. There was also that Razzie Award nod for Worst Screen Couple alongside Ben Affleck — but we'll just pretend that one didn't happen for now.

As quickly as his rise to fame happened though, he stepped out of the spotlight just as fast. Though he continued acting on the big and small screen, he mainly took on smaller roles under smaller production companies with more of an independent and artistic take on cinema and television.

As for why Hartnett stopped taking on the big time roles while he was at the top of his game and arguably one of the most popular stars in Hollywood? Well, that remained somewhat of a mystery. Until now, that is...

Josh Hartnett opened up about his mysterious step back in a December 7 interview with Australia's "Sunrise," explaining, "It was the best thing for my mental health and my career to keep Hollywood at bay." He added, "Luckily, I think I hit onto it early on in my life — it's about creating a good home life and being able to do things that are wild and wonderful like making films, which is such a privilege."

He shared a similar sentiment with news.com.au that same day. Hartnett opened up more about his turning down a lucrative three-movie deal to play Superman and another to play Batman, explaining one thing he didn't like back then, pre-social media, was the way he felt actors were at the mercy of journalists. "At that point in my life, when I was so young and just trying to form my own personality, I just felt it was too much, honestly," he said. "If I were to have sort of stuck in that Hollywood game, I think I would have been played out pretty quickly. I think people would have gotten pretty sick of me. I'm happy to be making films, 20-something years later," Hartnett added.

Hartnett is stepping back into Hollywood life just a little with his new movie, though. He stars alongside the likes of Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, and Hugh Grant in the 2022 Guy Ritchie directed "Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre."