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Hollywood heartthrob Josh Hartnett vows chastity | 18347__forty_l
LET'S NOT TALK ABOUT SEX ''40 Days''' Hartnett and Sossamon

There are a lot of moments that seemed like they might have been embarrassing or uncomfortable for you in ''40 Days.'' What was the hardest part?
Comedy was hard for me -- to try to figure out how to go about making something funny. In comedy, you have to have good humor about your pain. Even the character himself has to be able to recognize the humor. The director told me sometimes to cool off and relax, that it's really not the end of the world. He said that this character, he can't be humorless, and I took it to heart.

You do have to portray some really intense emotional states, though, especially as your character gets more and more frustrated toward the end. What did you do to prepare for those scenes?
At the beginning of the shoot I spent some time taking my own vow [of chastity], actually.

Um, how long did that last?
A couple of weeks. I wasn't gonna go 40 days and 40 nights. It made me a little bit crazy, you know what I mean? It made me understand some of the feelings -- just the deprivation. You're depriving yourself of this one thing, and it becomes all you can think about.

You're not gonna be repeating that experiment?
No.

Some of your past costars -- Ben Affleck in ''Pearl Harbor,'' Eric Bana and Ewan McGregor in ''Black Hawk Down'' -- have ended up in big fantasy or superhero movies. Any interest in that kind of thing?
Nah, I've turned down every superhero I've been offered.

Like what?
I really can't tell you that.

Tell the truth -- it was Wonder Woman, wasn't it?
[Laughs] Yeah. Nah, I don't think I could pass as Wonder Woman. The superhero stuff was never really my thing. But if the right thing comes along, maybe -- I never say never.

See more pics of Josh Hartnett in our photo gallery


Posted Feb 19, 2002 | Order Article Reprints
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