I didn’t want to be the superhero type
time it didn’t seem like the sort of decision I would be talking about 15 years later’.
‘There were a lot of powers-thatbe that wanted me to pursue those films but I have always been interested in stories about people and I didn’t want to be boxed into that superhero type,’ he says. ‘Back then a lot of actors had to fight really hard to get their careers back after they played those characters.’
Instead, the Minnesota-born actor has ploughed a committed, independent furrow. His latest indie is Target Number One, an involving ‘based on true events’ thriller about a petty drug dealer who is framed by police and sentenced to 100 years in a Thai prison. Hartnett plays real-life Canadian journalist Victor Malarek, who is trying to free him.
‘He is very charismatic and heroic,’ Hartnett says of Malarek. ‘When it comes to corruption or abuse of power, he will throw himself in the way of the metaphorical bullets to save the people he is trying to write about.’
To prepare for the role, Hartnett met Malarek (who didn’t know who he was) and spent three years swotting up on his work.
‘I like to prepare a lot,’ he says ‘but I don’t go full Daniel Day-Lewis – I am not immersed through the entire production as the character.’
These days Hartnett can’t afford that luxury. The 6ft 3in actor has three small (yet, presumably, tall) children with his partner, 5ft 10in British actress Tamsin Egerton (Camelot, St Trinian’s), who kept him busy during lockdown. ‘When they don’t have any other stimulus and you have to account for every moment of the day, that is a lot!’
Teaching his daughter ukulele proved a hit. Even so, Hartnett managed time for reflection.
‘I went through a few permutations and had all sorts of epiphanies,’ he says. ‘The biggest impact is that I recognised I want to be a bit slower. I don’t want to be on a plane every five minutes. It has reconfirmed my belief that I want to spend as much time at home as possible.’
Home is currently Surrey, where they moved to be near Egerton’s parents. It also proved handy for work, given he’s just wrapped on latest Guy Ritchie film, Cash Truck. Is he becoming an adoptive Brit?
‘You have to tell me!’ he says. ‘It’s not for me to decide that. But I love being in the UK and our kids have British accents, which is adorable.’
The ultimate test is, can he make a proper cup of tea?
‘I think I can… I believe I can,’ he laughs. ‘I used to get a lot complaints but I haven’t had any recently.’
And if this tough year has taught us anything, it’s that a good mug of tea in the hand is surely worth any number of Golden Globes in the bush.
Target Number One is out now on demand