Josh Hartnett is voicing his regret about turning down Batman and in turn, blocking a future working relationship he could’ve had with director Christopher Nolan.
In an interview with Playboy, Hartnett said he was burnt out, being one of the most sought after actors of the early 2000s. When he turned down the role, it went to Christian Bale.
“I've definitely said no to some of the wrong people. I said no because I was tired and wanted to spend more time with my friends and family,” he explained. “That's frowned upon in this industry. People don't like being told no."
He continued to say when he decided Batman “wasn't for me,” he learned a lesson the hard way.
Hartnett, who was dating Scarlett Johansson at the time, was then turned down for The Prestige as a result. “They not only hired their Batman for it, they also hired my girlfriend at the time,” he said.
At this time he realized “relationships were formed in the fire of that first Batman film and I should have been part of the relationship with this guy Nolan, who I felt was incredibly cool and very talented.”
But he admitted he was “so focused on not being pigeonholed and so scared of being considered only one thing as an actor.” As for Bale, “he's been able to overcome that. Why couldn't I see that at the time?"
Last year, Hartnett spoke to Details about his disappearance from Hollywood. He talked about being in discussions for Spider-Man, Superman Returns and Batman but feared it would “define me.”
“I didn't want to be labeled as Superman for the rest of my career. I was maybe 22, but I saw the danger,” he said.
image via Roger Wong/INFphoto.com