Actor Josh Hartnett makes rare social media appearance, jokes he'll 'ghost' again for another 10 years

After years of staying away from social media, Josh Hartnett made a brief reappearance on social media to promote his next action comedy movie titled Fight or Flight, which opens in theatres on May 9. The actor made it apparent that his online presence would not last long, despite the fact that his reappearance delighted his fans.

The actor who'll turn 47 this July has notably kept a low profile over the years, his appearance on a reel for the movie's promotion was uploaded to Fight or Flight's official account, which has excited fans and has them hoping that he will be present on social media.

Josh Hartnett shows only a portion of his face in the reel while making it look like he's typing:

"Me promoting my film before ghosting social media for another 10 years."

The reel was accompanied by the caption:

"When your team insists on a social media content day to promote your new film, Fight or Flight (in theaters May 9), but you don’t get any of these viral trends."

The 90s and early 2000s heartthrob has stayed away from the spotlight, preferring a peaceful, quiet life in the English countryside, raising his kids with his wife, British actress Tamsin Egerton, in Hampshire.

Previously, Josh Hartnett stated in an interview with PEOPLE in 2024 that:

“Hollywood is more than a place; it's like a state of mind. If you're around people who are constantly talking about the movie business, your life is going to be pretty much one note. And I've never wanted that.”

He clarified that he wants to live a more varied and grounded life apart from the entertainment industry's narrow emphasis. He went on to say:

"I've always wanted to be around ... people generally doing lots of other things that would bring my mind off of my work and force me to grow in different directions."

Josh Hartnett also said that he and his wife want to raise their kids normally, away from the spotlight. Also mentioning that he would never encourage his kids to follow in his footsteps:

"Not to make it too simplified, but I do think the industry is really tough on girls, and I don't want that for my kids. I also think the industry is tough on actors. We're always waiting for people to say it's okay for us to do our job."

Josh Hartnett appears to be happy with his role as a private person and parent outside of acting. In 2024, he took his daughters to Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert at Wembley. In an interview with PEOPLE, he said:

“It was really wild. I’ve never experienced anything like it—90,000 people at Wembley Stadium losing their minds, including my two daughters. And people were so respectful."

---

What to expect from Josh Hartnett's Fight or Flight

In the movie Fight or Flight, Josh Hartnett co-stars with Marko Zaror, Katee Sackhoff, Julian Kostov and Charithra Chandran from Bridgerton. The movie is compared to action-comedy movies of the 1990s because of the way it blends high-stakes action with vintage humor.

Hartnett explained that what drew him to the part in an interview with GamesRadar in February 2025:

“I liked the element of sort of '90s style comedy, action—it felt like a throwback, contained action film. And I liked the character too. I thought the character starting at the very bottom and trying to work his way back up to a place where he had some dignity would be a lot of fun.”

This movie is totally different from when we last saw Josh Hartnett on the big screen as physicist Ernest Lawrence in Oppenheimer.

---

Josh Hartnett's comeback to social media has his fans going crazy, even if it is only temporary. Hartnett will be seen on the big screen in his next movie, Fight or Flight, which releases on May 9, even though we won't be seeing his face on social media anytime soon.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.