After achieving notable success with cult classics and garnering popularity in the entertainment industry, Josh Hartnett faced an unexpected challenge in his career. Despite flaunting his collaborations with esteemed directors like Sofia Coppola and Michael Bay, Hartnett faced difficulty in breaking through to work with the legendary director, M. Night Shyamalan.
Following his work with M. Night Shyamalan in his 2024 mystery thriller Trap, Josh Hartnett reflected on the long-awaited chance to join forces with the filmmaker. Reminiscing about their initial conversation after his work in Pearl Harbor (2001) Hartnett stated how it took over two decades to materialize his collaboration with Shyamalan.
Josh Hartnett’s Decades-Old Quest to Collaborate with M. Night Shyamalan
Debuting in 1998 with a feature film Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis, Josh Hartnett ventured into Hollywood. Although the horror drama didn’t garner much appreciation from fans and critics, it surprisingly allowed Hartnett to gain the attention of popular filmmakers. Thereafter, the actor found his breakthrough role in 1999, with Sofia Coppola’s The Virgin Suicides.
Soon, Josh Hartnett became a bona fide movie star, appearing in a total of 9 movies throughout 2001, including Michael Bay‘s Oscar-nominated Pearl Harbor. However, despite gaining prominence within the formative years of his career, Hartnett struggled mightily to gain the attention of one esteemed filmmaker, M. Night Shyamalan. According to his recent interview with Jake’s Takes, Hartnett reflected on his long-awaited quest to collaborate with the director.
Addressing how he and M. Night Shyamalan sort of exploded in their career during the late 90s, Josh Hartnett reflected on his passion to work with the director. Claiming to be a fan of his work since the beginning, Hartnett recalled his discussion with Shyamalan, after appearing in Pearl Harbor. However, despite their positive conversation, the actor mentioned how he had to wait over two decades to finally work with the legend.
I loved his movies, I was a huge fan from the beginning and a friend of mine worked with him on a couple of movies and asked me if I wanted to come to a premiere of his, The Village, actually here in New York. I was living in New York, and I came to the premiere and I was able to meet him and his wife. And then they invited me to dinner afterward with the cast. And we talked a lot about movies.
And he knew about what I was doing and I knew about what he was doing and I told him I’m a huge fan, and if he ever wanted to work with me, I’d love to work with him. And then 20 years went by and he didn’t call… I’m like he never asked me, I could be Dave Bautista and knock the cabin.
Despite the radio silence, Josh Hartnett’s determination did not waver. And eventually, his patience paid off when M. Night Shyamalan offered him a role in the latest project Trap. After over two decades, the filmmaker extended his hand of collaboration with Hartnett and the actor immediately expressed his eagerness to join. That’s how, after his long-drawn quest, Hartnett was finally able to join forces with Shyamalan.
Josh Hartnett’s Materialized his Manifestation with His 2024 Thriller Trap
His recent partnership with M. Night Shyamalan in the 2024 thriller Trap, marked a notable milestone in Josh Hartnett’s career, especially since his path to working with the legend has been a long and winding one. And now, as the movie hit the theaters today, on August 2, fans await to see how this long-anticipated collaboration unfolds. Poised to be another major entry in Shyamalan’s filmography, Trap deals with the director’s quintessential theme of mystery.
Starring Ariel Donoghue, alongside M. Night Shyamalan’s daughter Saleka, Trap deals with high concepts and dramatic plot twists while focusing majorly on family dynamics. As per Collider, the movie deals with the story of a father (Josh Hartnett) who takes his young daughter to a concert, only to start witnessing strange things and sudden changes in the situation.
Shockingly, the concert turns out to be bait to catch a serial killer on the loose named The Butcher, which is said to be loosely based on the US government sting operation. Meanwhile, in the story, here comes a plot twist as M. Night Shyamalan sets a shocking premise where Josh Hartnett’s character Cooper is already exposed to the audiences as the serial killer. Well, it’s not a spoiler, it’s just Shyamalan’s way of keeping audiences hooked to the screen.
Trap is running at your nearest theaters.
