Josh Hartnett turned down Spider-Man, Batman and Superman

Every so often you hear of an actor turning down a potentially iconic role, but Josh Hartnett has taken things up a level by claiming to have turned down opportunities to play Spider-Man, Batman and Superman.

"Spider-Man was something we talked about," says Hartnett. "Batman was another one. But I somehow knew those roles had potential to define me, and I didn't want that."

"I didn't want to be labeled as Superman for the rest of my career," continues Hartnett, having revealed he turned down the title role in Bryan Singer's Superman Returns . "I was maybe 22, but I saw the danger."

"I didn't have those agents for much longer after that," says the star. "There was a lot of infighting between my manager and agents, trying to figure out who to put the blame on. It got to the point where none of us were able to work together."

Not that he would be completely averse to playing a superhero these days, should it be the right fit. "I'd say, 'Let's talk about how it would be done, see if we can get on the same page,'" reasons Hartnett. "Compromise doesn't scare me anymore."

Over to you, Hollywood…

George Wales

George was once GamesRadar's resident movie news person, based out of London. He understands that all men must die, but he'd rather not think about it. But now he's working at Stylist Magazine.