Summary
Josh Hartnett reveals the most embarrassing moment in his career occurred while filmingPearl Harbor. The 2001 historical fiction filmdirected by Michael Baysaw Hartnett in the role of combat pilot Danny Walker, the lifelong best friend of fellow pilot Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck). In addition to adapting the real-life events of the 1941 attack on Pearl Harborduring World War II, the film’s plot revolved around its fictional characters engaged in a love triangle, as both Danny and Rafe were in love with a nurse named Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale).
WhenElleasked Hartnett about his most embarrassing on-set moment, he chose a love scene between Danny and Evelyn, asBeckinsale brought her young child and her partner at the time to set that day. Check out the video below:
Hartnett discussed the strange nature of the intimate scene between Danny and Evelyn and how it was made more uncomfortable by the unexpected presence of Beckinsale’s loved ones, including her one-year-old daughter. He also shared how it impacted him for the rest of that day while on set. Read Hartnett’s full quote below:
One of my most embarrassing [moments] is the parachute scene from Pearl Harbor with Kate Beckinsale where we are making love in the parachutes for some reason. She decided to bring her young one-year-old daughter and her boyfriend to set for the first time that day. I felt terrible the whole day. That was super embarrassing.
Josh Hartnett’s Career Has Greatly Evolved Since Pearl Harbor
Trap, Oppenheimer, & Other Recent Projects Better Demonstrate His Impressive Range
Hartnett has proven he is just as adept at playing leading roles in Pearl Harbor and Trap as he is within Oppenheimer’s ensemble cast, or as a one-episode character in The Bear.
WhilePearl Harborremains one of Hartnett’s most recognizable roles, his career and the types of characters he plays have changed significantly since the 2001 film. Earlier in his career, Hartnett was cast inPearl Harbor,Black Hawk Down, andother films that often prioritized gripping action sequences and tense cinematography over characterization. Hartnett did well in these roles, but was unable to showcase the full extent of his acting abilities given the artistic vision driving these stories.
In more recent years,Hartnett has had more of an opportunity to demonstrate his range by portraying more nuanced characters. This includes his most recent starring role as serial killer Cooper Adams inM. Night Shyamalan’sTrap, American physicist Ernest Lawrence in Christopher Nolan’s Academy Award-winningOppenheimer, and important roles in an episode of Hulu’sThe Bearand Netflix’sBlack Mirror. Hartnett has shown he is just as effective at playing a cunning or calculated individual as he is at playing a deeply compassionate or heroic person.
Oppenheimerwon seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
As important asPearl Harborwas at the beginning of Hartnett’s career,it is exciting to now see him in a variety of roles distinct from Danny. Beyond the range he has demonstrated, Hartnett has proven he is just as adept at playing leading roles inPearl HarborandTrapas he is withinOppenheimer’s ensemble cast, or as a one-episode character inThe Bear. His career opportunities will hopefully only expand further as his career continues.
Pearl Harbor
Cast
Two best friends and pilots find themselves caught in a love triangle with a dedicated nurse just as the catastrophic attack on Pearl Harbor plunges America into war. The events of December 7 dramatically change their lives, and the film tells a dramatized tale set during the event that marked the United States' entry into World War II.
