Josh On Jay Leno on the 24th of May, 2001 to promote Pearl Harbor

Jay Leno: My first guest is a very talented young actor, his films include Halloween H2O, The Faculty, and The Virgin Suicides. His new movie is this summer's blockbuster-I really liked this film I thought it was great-Pearl Harbor opens Friday in a theater near you, please welcome Josh Harnett (Cheers and Applause)

J: Hey buddy, what's up? good to see you. (Cheers)

Hartnett: Wow!

J: Did I pronounce it right? Harnett?

H: Hartnett, you missed it.

J: Hartnett, ok, ok. (Cheers) Did I drop the- (Screams)

H: Hello (to crowd)

J: I dropped the "T" didn't I?

H: Yeah you dropped the middle "T".

J: Hartnett, there we go.

H: It's okay.

J: Well, congratulations on all your successes, for a young guy you're doing great.

H: Thanks a lot.

J: Now I know you're from the Midwest, where are you?

H: Minnesota

J: Minnesota, where?

H: St. Paul

J: Oh, St. Paul, oh I know St. Paul.

H: (Looks at audience) We got somebody out here- (Cheers)St. Paul, All Right!

J: That's a great theatre and show business town actually, The Guthrie's there and -

H: The Guthrie's there, and the children's theatre I used to work at, all sorts of-

J: Okay, now were you always in theatre, you're a big guy, did you play sports? Were you an athlete in school?

H: Yeah, I played, you know, high school football and baseball, and stuff like that, but I was terrible.

J: Terrible? You look like you'd be good - why?

H: I was terrible.

J: Were you terrible -

H: Yeah, I don't know why, I mean yeah I do have a nice build for sports, I just - I'm Uncoordinated and I'm, you know - I'm bad.

J: Do you not apply yourself?

H: No, no, I apply myself - I'm just no good.

J: How about a student, where you a good student?

H: Uh - (Laughter) From time to time.

J: From time to time? Yeah, see, I was not a good student.

H: It's ok though, Jay.

J: Were you preoccupied? What was your worst grade? Did you flunk anything?

H: I don't know, maybe. (Laughter) I tried not to all the time, but you know it just kinda happened. No, you know, I just - I never did my homework, that was the  thing. You guys should do your homework, 'cause you know -

J: Yeah or you might end up in a major league blockbuster movie. (Laughter) Yeah excellent. Excellent advice for the young people, don't study 'cause you might end   up making out with Kate in a movie.

H: Yeah right, terrible advice to the kids, I'm sorry.

J: So what was your worst subject? Was it math? Was it history?

H: Well, you know, pretty much all of the above. History - actually  history,  I was pretty good in. You know, and we only studied - we studied very  little   about Pearl Harbor - But -

J: Have you been back to your high school since you've been in movies  and   stuff?

H: Well, yeah, I went back for a play that my ex-girlfriend's little  brother   was in. We went and saw that.

J: It's kind of cool to go back to your hometown, isn't it? When you're  in a   big movie- is it like a big deal, do they roll out the red carpet everything?

H: No, no, you just wear a hat and you try and skate along inside and  try not to be   noticed. No, seriously, because you know, I mean, it's different.  It's   different.

J: Did you get big write-ups in your hometown newspaper?

H: Oh god, I got a write-up in my hometown newspaper, that I was doing a movie, with Chris Klein, we were both in it. And they had a picture of  him in  the paper, and it said my name at the bottom. (Laughter)  And it was like - they didn't even know who I was. And they don't  remember that in, like, 1989, I had the first Kool-Aid stand of the  year.

J: Really?

H: And I was on the news and my name was in print.

J: Wait, let's go back.

H: All over the twin cities.

J: Let's go back now, 1989, first Kool-Aid stand what -

H: Well, it wasn't '89, I was a little bit too old at that point. But I was like 10 or Something like that and I had a Kool-Aid stand that was the first of the year.I think it was in, like, in April.

J: And what was Kool-Aid going for a glass? It was 2 cents when I was a kid.

H: Yeah it was about a dime I think.

J: Up to a dime?

H: I really only made about 20 cents 'cause I drank the rest. (Laughter) But it turned out all right.

J: You know, it sounds like show business was the only thing left for you.

H: True, yeah. I'm no entrepreneur.

J: Yeah, I remember I went back to my hometown, Andover, and it had "Andover welcomes back Joe Leno"

H: Excellent. (Laughter) Jay Leno welcomes on Josh Harnett It never changes, man.

J: That's right it never changes. That's the same thing, you got that lazy "T", that's what it is.Did you go to college?

H: Yeah, went to college for about 8 months.

J: 8 months, so it's an intensive study program. (Laughter)

H: Yes it was (Laughing) I got kicked out, man. I got kicked out.

J: You got kicked out, now what did you do? What did you do?

H: Nothing, nothing.

J: You didn't do anything? you are just a victim! (Laughter)

H: It's true, it's true. There was this thing with the dean's wife - no (laughter)

J: The dean's wife?

H: No, no, I'm kidding, it was - (Josh forgets what he was going to say) What was it? Somebody help me out here.

J: Let me guess- something with your grade point average?

H: Yes -
No it wasn't. I just didn't agree with the way the school was going.
They had -

J: Oh really?

H: Yeah, no seriously it was political. It was all good.

J: And what were you taking in school?Were you taking theatre?

H: Theatre, yeah.
Actually, when I went to school, I didn't know it was gonna be a strictly theatre school.

J: But how do you drop out of theatre? That's like the easiest - (Laughter)

H: Thanks, Jay.

J: Well, I mean it's not like you're taking trigonometry, calculus, and then -

H: No, I can do that stuff, I was always good at math.

J: I mean, I know what you're saying, 'cause when I went to college I wanted to be a stand-up comedian and when I went to -

H: You went to stand-up comedian college?

J: No, no, I mean that was what I did when I was in college, I was in theatre, but at that time they didn't see that as theatre, so I just left.

H: That's kinda what I did, we had a little dispute about how the school should be run, I obviously had no clouts and they said "You can take off if you want to" so I said "Ok fine" and I came out here and I landed a job.

J: Okay, you came out here, how long were you out here before something happened for you?

H: I got really lucky man, I landed a job within 2 weeks.

J: Well, I know people it's taken 4 to 6 weeks. (Laughter)

H: Yeah, really that is a long time.

J: Mel Gibson was here close to a month and a half. (Laughter)

H: Wow

J: Now what did you get - you came out here and what was the first thing you got?

H: There's a tv show called "Cracker" that was on ABC

J: Oh, the English show, based on the English program

H: Yeah, it was based on the English show

J: And you got a job on that

H: Yeah I played the son of Robbie - the Robbie Coltraine character in the English version. It was Robbie Pastorelli here.

J: And what did you do? What was your first-

H: Oh god, I hope you guys don't have the clip

J: What clip?

H: The first thing I did, I was on a toilet man (Laughter)

J: That was your first scene ever?

H: My first scene in this big thing - I was on a toilet on a cell
phone.

J: I remember watching this show and I was so impressed by this young man sitting on the toilet on the cell phone, I said you know I'm going to tape this and save it (Laughter) because I think this kid is gonna make it big.

H: Oh no, that says way too much about you Jay.

J: Well here you are, here he is sitting on a toilet on his cell phone(A clip of Cracker- Josh sitting on the toilet on his phone) (Clapping and cheering)

H: Yep. yeah, yeah (Laughter)

J: But that's long past now, now you're in Pearl Harbor.

H: Yeah, yeah. It was - I mean that's Shakespeare man. That's incredible. I had a really good time doing that show.

J: Now let's talk about Pearl Harbor now, tell me about the movie

H: This is - it's a little movie called "Pearl Harbor", it was made independently, with a really small cast, you know probably nobody you've ever heard of. I don't know - there's some guy named Affleck in it. (Cheering) I thought that was the reaction I was gonna get

J: The duck in the insurance company, yeah

H: What?

J: Is that the duck in the insurance company, you know, Aflac? Aflac? (Laughter)

H: Yes, that's him

J: Now is your character based on a real person - like Jimmy Doolitlle and some of those people - is yours based on a real person or is it written?

H: It's a compilation. It's not necessarily 1 person. It's kind of a made up character.

J: And you and Ben as young boys grew up together and you enlist together -

H: In the army and we go off to Hawaii and we both fall in love with the same girl, and you know, trouble ensues and then the whole event of Pearl Harbor happens.

J: Let's see this scene. This movie has some of the most realistic special effects.

H: Yeah, you know what you guys, I couldn't believe it when I saw it - outdid themselves.

J: Yeah I liked it and it looks authentic , and its not like star wars or something it looks like the it's the real period stuff

H: It's really cool

J: Like every airplane that was left I think they used in this . Here lets take a look at this Pearl Harbor.

H: Yeah(Clip from Pearl Harbor)(Cheering)

J: Good jobJosh, congratulations on all your success

H: Thanks a lot Jay, thank you very much

J: Josh Hartnett! (Clapping and cheering)