# Josh Hartnett's Middle-Age Renaissance > Josh Hartnett, once Hollywood's heartthrob, now stars in Verity and Oppenheimer while embracing a quieter life. - Title: Josh Hartnett's Middle-Age Renaissance · Vanity Fair - Summary: Josh Hartnett, once Hollywood's heartthrob, now stars in Verity and Oppenheimer while embracing a quieter life. Josh Hartnett, 48, returns to blockbuster… - Keywords: josh hartnett, verity, oppenheimer, michael showalter, anne hathaway, dakota johnson, netflix, below, colleen hoover, triple threat, hampshire, tamsin egerton - Source: Vanity Fair — https://vanityfair.com/story/josh-hartnett-verity-interview - Author: Savannah Walsh - Published: 2026-10-06T17:18:23.939+00:00 - Read time: 3 min - Topics: josh hartnett, verity, oppenheimer, michael showalter, anne hathaway, dakota johnson, netflix, below, colleen hoover, triple threat, hampshire, tamsin egerton ## Josh Hartnett's Early Fame Twenty-five years ago, a July 2001 Vanity Fair cover story called 'The Making of Josh Hartnett' anointed the 22-year-old actor as the next major movie star. ## Ben Affleck's Prediction His Pearl Harbor costar Ben Affleck predicted that Hartnett 'will get very famous very quickly' after roles in The Virgin Suicides and Black Hawk Down. > will get very famous very quickly ## Hartnett's Heartthrob Label Hartnett spent subsequent years outrunning the heartthrob label that had been stamped across his forehead, acting in small indie films and the dark Emmy-nominated Showtime series Penny Dreadful. ## Set-Up-to-Fail Moment Hartnett later said that being compared to Tom Cruise and Julia Roberts in the article was 'a set-up-to-fail moment' that made people 'get a chip on their shoulder' about him. > a set-up-to-fail moment ## Verity Role Hartnett plays the potentially shadowy spouse of the titular character in Michael Showalter's psychological thriller Verity, opposite Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson. ## Oppenheimer and Trap Hartnett nabbed roles in Christopher Nolan's best-picture winner Oppenheimer and the M. Night Shyamalan thriller Trap about a serial killer taking his daughter to a pop concert. ## Family Life Hartnett, the father of four, lives in the Hampshire countryside of England with his wife, British actor Tamsin Egerton, and has a 'very full and chaotic family life' that is his best antidote to becoming a navel-gazing, self-abused actor. ## Netflix Series Below Hartnett stars and produces the Netflix series Below, out October 8, which centers on strange occurrences in a remote Canadian coastal fishing town. ## Family as Antidote Hartnett says his wife is 'so excellent at picking up the slack when I go away' but has no intention of getting caught up in Hollywood's feedback loop. ## Verity's Core Mystery Hartnett says his character's motives remain unclear to the audience, as the film explores whether the character is team manuscript or team letter. > team manuscript or team letter ## Colleen Hoover Universe Hartnett was not aware of Colleen Hoover's other films but saw the script for Verity as a standalone piece with an ambiguous ending. ## Career Evolution Hartnett feels more like an 'undiscovered talent' now, having established himself as a collaborator rather than a project for studios. ## UK Perspective Hartnett says the UK's political landscape is similarly divided as the US, but living away from Hollywood helps him avoid navel-gazing and self-abuse. ## Message-Driven Projects Hartnett has chosen films based on his beliefs but admits that directors sometimes change the message, leading to misunderstandings. ## Set-Up-to-Fail Reflection Hartnett recalls feeling defined by press coverage as a young actor but now finds it doesn't affect his day-to-day life as much. ## Industry Reintroduction Hartnett returned to the zeitgeist with roles in Oppenheimer and Trap after switching agencies and making phone calls to directors. ## White Lies Project Hartnett is starring in Oliver Stone's White Lies, an exploration of his own addictions and life, similar to Fellini's 8½. ## Future Goals Hartnett hopes to focus on family and work that supports them before entering his next decade, feeling less afraid of aging. ## Key takeaway Josh Hartnett, 48, returns to blockbuster cinema after years of indie work, balancing family life with roles in Verity and Oppenheimer.