Josh Hartnett is learning to get out of character to be present for his kids.
Hartnett, 45, told Variety in an interview published on Monday, June 10, that he’s “not great at getting out of” portraying a father in turmoil on season 6 of Black Mirror. “It takes about the same amount of kind of effort to come out because I can’t just pick it up and put it down,” he explained.
While it isn’t always easy, Hartnett strives to find work-life balance. “At the same time, I’ve got amazing friends, I’ve got an amazing family, and I have kids and they don’t care what I’ve been doing at work,” he added. “They need things, so I can’t really bring it out. It’s not an option.”
Hartnett, who married Tamsin Egerton in 2021, has kept his children almost completely out of the spotlight over the years.
The couple welcomed a daughter in 2015, followed by two more children in 2017 and 2019. They’ve since welcomed a fourth baby, choosing to keep the names of their kids private.
Despite raising his family away from the spotlight, the Oppenheimer star has dropped some parenting wisdom along the way.
In 2021, Hartnett told Mr. Porter that he’s “most proud” of being a father, adding, “I’m still able to do good work and, as I’ve got older, the characters have become more interesting. I don’t know what the possibilities of my life could have been had I chosen different routes, but I will say that in giving in to the allure of Hollywood entirely, I know that I would not have a happy life. I feel very strongly about that.”
The Halloween: H20 star previously explained that fatherhood “puts things in a totally new perspective” during an April 2016 interview with Kelly Ripa. “I mean, your ego melts away when you have a new kid,” he said. “Your heart kind of leaves your body and you give it permission to walk around with someone else for a while.”
Hartnett described his role as a parent as both “terrifying” and “beautiful,” gushing, “I love it more than anything. I wish I would have started it earlier.”
Following the birth of his first child, Hartnett said “becoming a father has “change[d] everything” during a November 2015 Good Morning Britain appearance. “The rubber finally meets the road and everything you have done beforehand is just preamble,” he continued. “You’re actually living your life for the first time because everything matters a bit more, doesn’t it?”
