Josh Hartnett says he left Hollywood after being stalked by ‘unhealthy’ fans

Josh Hartnett has revealed the reason behind his decision to leave the glittering lights of Hollywood despite a successful career on the silver screen.

The actor made a name for himself after landing a series of hit films in the late 1990s and early 2000s, including the 1998 film “The Faculty” and the 2001 blockbuster “Black Hawk Down.”

Now, Hartnett has claimed it was being stalked by “borderline unhealthy” fans that made him turn his back on Hollywood for several years.

“People’s attention to me at the time was borderline unhealthy,” Harnett, 46, told The Guardian.

“There were incidents. People showed up at my house. People that were stalking me.”

As a result, Harnett and his wife — British actress Tamsin Egerton — packed up and moved to Hampshire, England in a desperate change of scenery.

Since then, he’s only taken on a select few roles, including the hit 2023 box office sensation “Oppenheimer,” as well as M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming psychological thriller “Trap.”

Opening up about the stalking incidents, Hartnett said that when he was 27, “a guy showed up at one of my premieres with a gun, claiming to be my father. He ended up in prison.”

“There were lots of things. It was a weird time. And I wasn’t going to be grist for the mill,” he added.

Hartnett rose to fame with films like “Pearl Harbor” and “40 Days and 40 Nights” in the late ’90s and early 2000s.

In 2014, Hartnett said part of his decision to stop making blockbuster movies was because he “didn’t trust anyone.”

“I was on the cover of every magazine,” he explained to Details at the time (via Us Weekly). “I couldn’t really go anywhere. I didn’t feel comfortable in my own skin. I was alone. I didn’t trust anyone.”

The Minnesota native said his departure from Hollywood affected the kinds of roles he was able to take on.

“I still get offered film and TV roles, luckily, but years ago, if I saw a role I wanted, there was a good chance I could grab it,” he said at the time.

“When I see a role now, I’ve got to fight for it. It’s not bad. It’s actually more rewarding. Depressing when something doesn’t go your way, but only for a minute.”

During his time out of the spotlight, Hartnett and Egerton started a family. The pair welcomed three children after tying the knot in 2021.