Josh Hartnett, 46, recently shared a funny and heartfelt story about his children’s reaction to his hair transformation for his upcoming action film, Fight or Flight. During an appearance on Today on May 8, the actor discussed how he had to change his hairstyle for the role, which led to an emotional response from his kids.
While Hartnett’s wife, Tamsin Egerton, loved the new look with blonde streaks, his children were not so enthusiastic. “My wife really liked it, and I don’t really know why, but my kids, no, they cried,” Hartnett said. “They cry every time I change my look, and being an actor, I have to do that quite a bit.”
He added, “My dad’s had a beard his entire life. If he shaved his beard, I think I would cry too,” illustrating how his kids feel about his changing appearances. Hartnett and Egerton have four children, whose names they keep private. They became parents in late 2015 when they had their first child, a daughter, followed by two more children in 2017 and 2019. In February 2024, Hartnett revealed they had welcomed their fourth child.
Hartnett and Egerton are known for keeping their children out of the public eye, prioritizing their privacy and normal upbringing. In a past interview, Hartnett shared that they do not want their kids to follow in their footsteps into the limelight. “We’ll try and keep them away from it as much as possible because we want them to have normal upbringings,” he said.
In a May 7 appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Hartnett gave a rare glimpse into his family life. He joked with Fallon that his children often tease him about being the only American in the family. “My kids love to give me crap about being an American because I’m the only American in our house,” Hartnett said. “My middle one does a really good impersonation of me, and will just kind of turn to me and be like, ‘I’m Daddy, and I like pizza and I won’t mow the lawn.’”
He also shared a funny moment with his youngest daughter, who tries to teach him about British culture. “My littlest daughter keeps telling me what it’s like to be English, like she keeps saying to me, ‘You might not understand this, Daddy, but in England we say boot instead of trunk of a car,’” Hartnett laughed. “And I’m like, ‘I’ve lived here for longer than you. I made you.’”
