Movies - TV
Why Josh Hartnett Refused To Play Bruce Wayne In Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins
By SHAE SENNETT
Christopher Nolan and Josh Hartnett will collaborate for the first time on the highly anticipated film “Oppenheimer”; however, this isn’t the first time the director has tried to work with the actor. Hartnett was offered to play the lead role in the 2005 film “Batman Begins,” but had turned it down after the actor’s newfound fame became too much for him to handle.
Hartnett explained, “The intensity of my sudden fame was overwhelming for me, and in the middle of that, I felt I couldn’t trust any new person I met or their motives.” The actor looked for roles in smaller, independent films such as “Wicker Park,” but his resistance to fame had real consequences for his career and his relationship with the soon-to-be world-famous director.
The actor admitted, “I learned my lesson when [writer-director] Christopher Nolan and I talked about ‘Batman.’ I decided it wasn’t for me. Then he didn’t want to put me in ‘The Prestige.’ They not only hired their Batman for it, they also hired my girlfriend at the time.” Missing this opportunity led Hartnett to reevaluate his career and his fears of fame.
With “Batman Begins,” Hartnett was worried that he would be typecast as a superhero. While Hartnett and Nolan have patched things up, the actor doesn’t regret turning down the Batman role, explaining, “I didn’t want to be boxed into that superhero type. Back then a lot of actors had to fight really hard to get their career back after they played those characters.”