# Josh Hartnett wasn't looking for TV

> The Oppenheimer actor had another movie lined up, then a Netflix script changed his mind.
- Title: Josh Hartnett wasn't looking for TV · The Hollywood Reporter
- Summary: The Oppenheimer actor had another movie lined up, then a Netflix script changed his mind. A good script can override a plan, even one an actor had already…
- Keywords: josh hartnett, netflix, below, tiff, casting, Josh, Hartnett, wasn't, looking, The Hollywood Reporter
- Source: The Hollywood Reporter — https://hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/josh-hartnett-not-looking-tv-show-before-below-1236698463
- Author: Mariel Turner
- Published: 2026-09-12T01:25:44+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: josh hartnett, netflix, below, tiff, casting
## Happy on the big screen
Josh Hartnett was set on staying in film when the Netflix thriller Below came his way. Television was not part of the plan.
## Actively not looking
He said it plainly at TIFF: he wasn't just passively uninterested in TV roles, he was steering away from them.

> Can I just say I was actively not looking to do a TV show?
## Another movie was queued
He had just finished one film and wanted to go straight into another. The next project was already lined up.

> I'd just came off a movie and wanted to do another movie.
## Then the script landed
Reading the Below script flipped the decision. His reaction was immediate rather than considered.

> I read this [script], and I was like, 'Wow, this is amazing.'
## Who made Below
Below is a Netflix thriller miniseries created and written by Jesse McKeown, the script that pulled Hartnett back to television.
## Said at TIFF
Hartnett shared the story on Friday at The Hollywood Reporter's Studio at 1 Hotel during the Toronto International Film Festival.
## Key takeaway

A good script can override a plan, even one an actor had already set in motion.