Who is Josh Hartnett? Meet the actor who plays nuclear physicist Ernest Lawrence in Oppenheimer  

Christopher Nolan has put together a team of highly skilled actors for his upcoming film Oppenheimer. Most of the stars will step into the roles of individuals who were heavily involved in the Manhattan Project. This project led to the invention of the first nuclear weapon and further led to mass destruction as it changed the trajectory of history forever.

In the film, Josh Hartnett plays an American nuclear physicist named Ernest Lawrence, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1939. He is known for his work on uranium-isotope separation during the Manhattan Project. Alongside Hartnett, the 2023 biographical thriller will also star Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Florence Pugh, and several others.

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Oppenheimer actor Josh Hartnett is known for his roles in 40 Days and 40 Nights, Lucky Number Slevin, and more

Born on July 21, 1978, to Daniel Thomas Hartnett and Wendy Anne, Josh Hartnett is best known for playing Michael Fitzgerald in the 1997 TV series, Cracker. He went on to work in a number of films including Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, The Faculty, The Virgin Suicides, Pearl Harbor, O, Black Hawk Down, 40 Days and 40 Nights, Lucky Number Slevin, and more.

He even starred in The Black Dahlia, Resurrecting the Champ, 30 Days of Night and I Come with the Rain. He played Ethan Chandler from 2014 to 2016 in Penny Dreadful and was nominated for a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for his work.

Hartnett is married to English actress Tamsin Egerton with whom he has three children.

In a recent interview with the Independent, the actor shed light on his experience working with Christopher Nolan on Oppenheimer.

"Chris has certain rules: no one’s allowed a cell phone. No one comes in late. No one has an assistant. Everyone’s there as equals. That’s essential to me maintaining a healthy mind," he said.

Hartnett also revealed that he earlier met with the director regarding starting in the Batman movies. Although the former was a fan of the director, he was not intrigued by the idea of playing a superhero and thought he could perhaps play a role in The Prestige. However, Nolan went on to cast Christian Bale as Batman and made The Prestige with Bale, Hugh Jackman, and David Bowie.

Hartnett mentioned during the interview that he feels "really lucky" that he is finally able to work with the celebrated director after all these years.

"I feel really lucky that he still saw me as somebody he wanted to work with all these years later. I’m a big believer in things working out when they’re supposed to," he said.

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Oppenheimer synopsis

The official synopsis of Oppenheimer reads:

"Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, Oppenheimer is an IMAX®-shot epic thriller that thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it."

It continues:

"The film is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin. The film is produced by Emma Thomas, Atlas Entertainment’s Charles Roven and Christopher Nolan."

Oppenheimer will be released worldwide on July 21, 2023.