For a time, Josh Hartnett's name was synonymous with "Hollywood heartthrob." Since his acting debut in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, however, the actor has worked with some of the heaviest hitters in the business, including Sofia Coppola, Michael Bay, Ridley Scott, Quentin Tarantino, Brian de Palma, Christopher Nolan—the list goes on. Now, he's returning to his genre roots in what may be his darkest role yet, for his first-ever team-up with M. Night Shyamalan in the horror thriller Trap.
In the film, Hartnett plays dad of the year Cooper when he takes his teen daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to the concert of fictional popstar Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). While surrounded by screaming fans, Cooper discovers everything isn't as it seems at this event, but that it's actually a trap for the notorious serial killer known as The Butcher. Trap also features Hayley Mills, Alison Pill, Kid Cudi, and Marnie McPhail.
In this interview with Collider's Steve Weintraub, Hartnett discusses the challenges this role presented, from researching serial killers to embodying a villain the audience needs to root for "to an extent." He talks about which scene had him worried, what was fun about the role, and teases his upcoming action movie Fight or Flight, opposite The Mandalorian's Katee Sackhoff.
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