Josh Hartnett reveals how he dealt with 'unhealthy' attention in his career

Josh Hartnett, who achieved heartthrob status in his teenage, has recalled his struggles with fame.

In an interview with the Observer newspaper, the 46-year-old actor star said that the attention he received from the people during his younger years was “unhealthy.”

"People’s attention to me at the time was borderline unhealthy,” said Josh. “There was a notion at that time you just kind of give it all up. And you saw what happened to some people back then. They got obliterated by it. I didn’t want that for myself.”

The Oppenheimer star further cited stalking “incidents” as the reason for his stepping away from the limelight.

"Well, look, I don’t want to give this a lot of weight ... There were incidents. People showed up at my house. People that were stalking me,” he told the outlet before recalling an incident when “a guy showed up at one of my premieres with a gun, claiming to be my father. He ended up in prison.”

“There were lots of things. It was a weird time. And I wasn’t going to be grist for the mill,” explained Josh.