Go back to the early 2000s and there is no way that you won’t know the Hollywood heartthrob, Josh Hartnett. Famous for his incredible filmography from Pearl Harbor to Black Hawk Down, the actor vanished from the film industry while still at the top of his career. Yet starting in 2023, the actor made a remarkable comeback and went on to star in the Oscar-winning Oppenheimer.
And now he will be seen next in M. Night Shyamalan’s horror thriller, Trap. Portraying a serial killer, the trailer is enough for fans to be convinced that the actor has one hell of a performance in store for them. As the whole world seems to be hypnotized by his incredible performance, it is a no-brainer that his resurgence can be dubbed as the Brendan Fraser Effect.
The Brendan Fraser Effect: Josh Hartnett Entices Fans By Starring as a Serial Killer
Only an incredible actor like Josh Hartnett can look as alluring as he does by starring as a serial killer. The actor, who has largely been missing from Hollywood since the late 2000s, had a remarkable comeback last year by starring in Oppenheimer and season 6 of Black Mirror. And just like his contemporary Brendan Fraser, whose remarkable resurgence in The Whale blew fans away, Hartnett too has found a role that is bound to take him back to the top of Hollywood.
Once slated to become a Hollywood legend, Hartnett took a break from the film industry due to the extreme fame and attention he was subjected to (see The Hollywood Reporter). While he still does not seem to be okay with the attention, the actor seems much more at ease. And now he is once again ready to show his talents to the world through M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap.
Starring as a serial killer who takes his daughter to a concert, he soon discovers the police have trapped the whole place to capture him. An apparently heart-pounding and gripping tale, as is characteristic of Shyamalan, the movie is sure to be filled with several twists and turns.
And as the trailer went viral, arousing the same effect as Shyamalan had intended (see Nerd Reactor), fans declared that the Josh Hartnett Renaissance is here.
Fans React to Josh Hartnett’s Resurgence via The Trap
For years fans have wondered what has happened to Josh Hartnett. The actor disappeared back when he was fast rising at the top of Hollywood’s altar of fame. Not because he was not getting any roles, but because of the brutality and scrutiny that the world inflicts upon any slated to be a Hollywood legend actor.
And so while he did a few roles here and there, mostly non-leading roles, Trap will be Hartnett’s one of the first major roles in years on the big screen. And as the chilling and intriguing trailer of the film went viral, this is how fans reacted:
The Josh Hartnett renaissance is upon us.🖤 pic.twitter.com/5MVoUBS2JF
— Diandra Krueger //// (@SassySledgehmmr) April 19, 2024
May Josh Hartnett always continue to grace the horror/thriller genre with his presence pic.twitter.com/jgRlcgzEcj
— Emilio (@TheFilmMaestro) April 19, 2024
Growing up is when your childhood crush on Josh Hartnett as a rebellious, angsty teen in The Faculty and Halloween H20 evolves into an adulthood crush on Josh Hartnett as a DILF serial killer in Trap pic.twitter.com/XiOEfJ5m3J
— Chase 🎃🔪🩸🏳️🌈 (@ohheyitschase) April 18, 2024
I would be absolutely fine if Josh Hartnett has a comeback pic.twitter.com/vaC8AZffB3
— Jeremiah (@lebontempkid) April 18, 2024
I believe Josh Hartnett could have been a huge star if only he had gone to a respectable barber in the 90s. I joke, but I'm really glad to see him in more and more films recently. Dudes a great actor. pic.twitter.com/hoNMvQPBsS
— Horror Fan Ryan👻💀🧟♂️🎃🎃 (@HorrorFanRyan) April 18, 2024
Josh Hartnett still hot in 2024… god is so goddamn good pic.twitter.com/KI0HZt3GYK
— samanthamcfarland (@SailorSammy93) April 19, 2024
In the same way that Brendan Fraser re-climbed the ladder of fame and acclaim with his roles in The Whale and Killers of the Flower Moon, Josh Hartnett’s role in Trap looks promising enough to do the same for his career. As his journey seems to mirror that of Fraser’s, Hartnett rises to the challenge of portraying a character as complex as a serial killer is similar to how Fraser rose to portray his Oscar-winning role in The Whale.
As fans await a potential great comeback, they hope the actor is truly back to the land of acting this time.
Trap hits the theatres on August 9.
