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We’re currently in the Josh Hartnett renaissance era. Initially positioned as a Hollywood heartthrob in his early career, the actor made a comeback-of-sorts as physicist Ernest Lawrence, an integral part of Oppenheimer’s ensemble cast.
Now, the actor is striking out as a lead once more in M. Night Shyamalan’s Trap as Cooper, a doting dad accompanying her daughter to a concert – but one harboring a dark secret (if you take the trailers at face value, anyway).
But not many get the chance to work with auteurs such as M. Night Shyamalan and Christopher Nolan in their careers, let alone in back-to-back years.
When asked how the two big-name directors compare in their approach, Harnett offered up an intriguing answer.
"What’s great about Night and what’s great about Chris – there are two things that make them very similar – is that they’re both meticulous about the way they go about things," Hartnett told GamesRadar+ and the Inside Total Film podcast. "But they’re also incredibly collaborative."
Harnett continued, "When a director is at the top of their game in the way Chris and Night are, they don’t feel the need to guard their creation with everything they have from their collaborators because they trust the people they’ve hired to be a part of it."
"Ultimately, their vision is so clear that it can contain a lot of different perspectives without being threatening to them. Other directors who are a bit less sure-footed will guard everything and not allow you an opinion."
That positive feeling even extends to the environment M. Night Shyamalan – best known for dark thrillers such as The Sixth Sense – fosters on set.
"I love the collaborative nature of it and Night, I think, is singularly warm on set – the opposite of the scripts he writes," Harnett explains. "He wants to create a family atmosphere so you feel that kind of comfort [when] exploring the character."
Trap is out in UK cinemas on August 9.
Listen out for our chat with M. Night Shyamalan on the upcoming episode of the Inside Total Film podcast, which is available on Apple, Audioboom, Spotify, and more. For a taste, read our interview with the director as he explains why he put together a real concert for his latest thriller.
