Josh Hartnett speaks from the heart
By Claudia Puig
USA Today
Despite his unease with being a heartthrob, Josh Hartnett has a newly minted golden boy's desire to please.
Advertiser library photo • May 21, 2001
"I hope I got the right gestures," the 23-year-old actor tells a photographer during an interview at the trendy Chateau Marmont hotel.
Josh Hartnett plays an idealistic sergeant in "Black Hawk Down" and a freewheeling guy who gives up sex for Lent in "40 Days and 40 Nights."
Well, he certainly has all the right moves. The down-to-earth Hartnett, who grew up in Minnesota, has legions of fans drawn to his boy-next-door good looks.
Hartnett seems ubiquitous on screens lately. He plays an idealistic sergeant in "Black Hawk Down" and a freewheeling guy who gives up sex for Lent in "40 Days and 40 Nights." Audiences took notice last year when he starred in "Pearl Harbor," if they hadn't already with 1998's "The Virgin Suicides."
But when his admirers surround his house, he retreats. "I draw the shades. Go out the back," he says.
Online, Hartnett addressed his worldwide fans — hundreds of whom responded to a call for questions — from a safe distance.
Q.You became famous quickly. Has it been hard because of all the girls chasing you? Do you get swarmed everywhere?
— Lisa Corbett, 13, Manchester, N.H.
A. It's becoming more and more like that, probably not as bad as 'N Sync. But a lot of girls come around to the house and hang out outside. ...
Q. If you could take back one thing on your way to fame, what would it be?
— Jessie Livingston, 13, Boulder, Colo.
A. I'd take back the fame itself and remain doing what I'm doing. Fame kind of gets in the way. It's tough to try something new, and that's what is important in acting.
Q. When you go out, do you get special treatment?
— Cathy Duwell, 15, Wilmington, Del.
A. People tend to have an opinion about me before I meet them. If they don't like you, they want to beat you up, and if they do, then they want to talk about your past. I go out to bars with friends, and there aren't any perks at bars. People have gotten me free drinks, but if I'm out with my girlfriend, not many girls have the guts to do that.
Q. What is your biggest turn-on?
— Jessica Hart, 20, St. Louis
A. Who is my biggest turn-on? Or what? (He asks for water, and the photographer hands him his.) Thanks, man. That's it. That's a perk. Water. No, I'm not going to say who. As far as girls go, I guess confidence. You know what? I take that back. Some girls have this false confidence that really bothers me. Someone with a sense of themselves, who's willing to explore. That's probably most exciting.
Q. What's the difference between being recognized in Minnesota and California?
— Rachel Lemke, 18, Anoka, Minn.
A. In Minnesota, they're pretty respectful. If you ask them to leave you alone, they generally do. And I know a lot of them, too. They come up and they say, "I'm your cousin's twice-removed's best friend." That's cool.
Q. I saw "Black Hawk Down" four times. What was it like to experience what U.S. soldiers went through in Somalia in 1993?
— Danielle Leppert, 14, Concord, Ohio
A. I grew up in a very liberal household. I would never have been in the military. Never will be, if I can help it. But my respect for these guys grew immensely. They put themselves in situations where it's life and death, and they've got to make these huge moral decisions that I would never want to have to make .
Q. What would you give up for Lent?
— Melissa, 18, Lincoln, Neb.
A: I guess something a lot simpler than sex. Pop or candy, or something like that.
