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Actor and producer Josh Hartnett is estimated to own a net worth of $25 million. Much of it is accumulated through his acting career in films and television.
The Pearl Harbor actor rose to fame through the television series Cracker (1997). In the early 2000s, he was touted to become the next Leonardo DiCaprio with his excellent acting skills. But he left the glamor call of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and DC to begin working on independent films that showcased curated scripting and exceptional storylines. A deviation from mainstream cinema led to his apparent disappearance from potential blockbuster A-list movies. He continues to be the advocate of change in the indie film scene.
Josh was in consideration to play Batman in the Dark Knight trilogy and Superman in the 2006 Superman Returns. He was offered around $100 million for a three-movie deal but eventually turned it down.
A Movie Aficionado Becoming An Actor
Born on 21st July 1978 in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Black Hawk Down actor was raised by his building manager, father, and artist stepmother. He attended the Cretin-Derham High School and later transferred to South High School. The acting bug didn't bite him till he was in his late teens. Till then, football remained his passion. An unexpected injury on the pitch forced him to halt his athletic career. His aunt was the first family member to encourage acting skills. Josh auditioned for the stage production of Tom Sawyer in high school and won the part play Huckleberry Finn. From there, he found a new direction to channel his creativity. He graduated from South High School in 1996 and moved to New York, where he enrolled at the Conservatory of Theatre Arts and Film. While there, he worked in a video store that further fueled his desire to become an actor.
According to English Elpais, he was expelled after complaining about the lack of creative outlets at the university. He continued to pitch himself with auditions but with no luck. A while later, an impulsive move to LA landed him 80 auditions through his manager Nancy Kremer in three weeks. He bagged the classic cult role of Michael Fitzgerald in the television series Cracker (1997). This got him into mainstream Hollywood with the slasher flick franchise Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998). The film grossed $75 million at the box office, catapulting the charming actor to fame.
Competing With The Likes Of Tom Cruise And Leonardo DiCaprio
The start of the 2000s was a significant turning point in Hartnett’s career graph; he starred in the critically acclaimed war drama Pearl Harbour (2001). The film smashed all box office records worldwide by collecting $450 million gross. It went on to win Best Sound Editing at the Academy awards. In the same year, he led magnificently in Black Hawk Down; according to ABC News, the film remained in the number position of the North American box office for three weeks straight. It racked up $173 million in worldwide box office collections. In 2002 he worked alongside Harrison Ford in the crime thriller Homicide, which grossed $60 million globally, establishing him as a Hollywood record-breaker.
According to Vanity, his stardom became the talk of the town. In June 2001, epoch magazine published a dedicated piece titled The Making of Josh Hartnett that spoke in length about his quick succession to being a heartthrob like Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Cruise. In 2006 The Black Dahlia premiered, and the crime thriller earned $49.3 million globally at the box office. After almost a gap of two decades, he appeared in the heist thriller The Wrath of Man (2021) alongside action sensation Jason Statham. The film collected a whopping $104 million globally, making it the perfect comeback vehicle for the retired actor.
A Movie Star Turned Investor
According to the Independent, he left the Hollywood scene at the peak of his career to pursue passionate interests in independent indie films and documentaries. He owns posh assets in the form of a $4.4 million luxurious house in LA. In 2016 he sold a beautiful Victorian Minneapolis property for $2.3 million. He sold a modest one-bedroom Tribeca penthouse for $3.8 million in 2017. The Faculty actor prefers to live quietly with his family in Surrey Hills, UK. He is not much of a car freak and owns an electric BMWi3 costing approximately $44,450.
The recluse actor occasionally shoots for fashion magazines. He, however, does not have any brand endorsements or official social media for his fans. His annual earnings are estimated to be around $1 million. Most of his investments are in short films and independent features.
Josh Hartnett is a level-headed actor who left the fame and money of Hollywood to pursue talented interests in filmmaking. He continues to follow his passion through parallel quirks and has amassed a net worth of $25 million even after bidding goodbye to the commercial scene.
Sources: English Elpais, ABC News, Vanity, Independent