From Lionsgate Films’ O, to Halloween H20, to The Faculty and Black Hawk Down, Josh Hartnett is one of the most successful young actors of the moment. Recently, he was seen in Brian De Palma’s The Black Dahlia and Lucky Number Slevin. He also appeared in Robert Rodriguez’s Sin City and is eager to act in its eventual sequel.

Emmanuel Itier: What are vampires about for you? What do they represent?

Josh Hartnett: Well, they are interested in us because they kill to survive, and this is very animalistic. Also, the idea of immortality–this is intriguing to us mortals. It’s some sort of mirror to us, to look at ourselves. Also, they are some sort of relief towards too much censorship in our society. I think people should be able to choose what they want to watch, but at the same time, there are limits to this and we need to protect people against any deviance. You can legitimize horrible acts toward children. You have to define the borders of what you can show, and it’s hard to define those borders.

EI: Do you like horror movies?

JH: Well, my favorite films are pictures like Jaws or Alien, so I enjoy “horror” if it has a good story, good acting, and interesting visuals. Also, I enjoy the suspense and I don’t care particularly for gore. I don’t like most of the scary horror movies made today because they are just blood baths and don’t make much sense to me. But I love this one because of its lyricism, its visuals, and its intensity. It was great for me to see the direction taken by David and how he wanted the vampire to be primal and scary. He didn’t want them to recite Beaudelaire. He wanted them like in the Dracula of Copolla and played by Gary Oldman–to be very scary, dangerous, and frightening. No sexy vampires like with Tom Cruise in Interview with a Vampire. And finally, what I liked was the “curiosity” look that these vampires have, and how they look at human beings as subjects they are observing before killing them. Humans, in this movie, are food and a study case for these vampires. Also, you have rooms here to create visuals that you wouldn’t see in another type of movie. You bring people to a world they would not be able to visit in their regular lives. It was a chance for me to do something I had not done before, and something I maybe won’t have another chance to do.

EI: Was it a fun shoot?

JH: Well, yes. You have to have a light mood when you’re shooting such an intense movie. Playing this type of character is fun for me because he is such a departure for me. Some scenes, of course, like in the attic, call for a more somber attitude and focused energy. But overall, we had a great time and everyone was so much fun working with.

EI: Do you believe in true evil? In horror? And why do we seem to enjoy so much horror?

JH: We live relatively safe lives, in spite of what we are built for and can endure. We could stand, probably, a little more fear and danger. Fear makes people aware–it wakes them up. Also, it gives them a sense that there is more around them than they can see. It appeals to people on a basic level. It’s like when you watch comedies and you have the need to laugh. Here you have the need to be scared, to face fear, death, but survive it. It’s important to get your emotions out. Sometimes you need to cry and you’re not sure what to cry about. Horror helps you release the inner tension.

EI: What do you want people to get, beyond the entertaining aspect?

JH: For me, this film is a western-style drama/thriller about isolation and fear. It’s about human nature and how human nature strives to survive at any cost. It’s interesting to explore this metaphor, but at the same time, if you just enjoy the film for its action and its horror, it’s also just fine.

EI: Did you do some research before jumping on board?

JH: Not really. We didn’t have much time to rehearse or talk too much with the director before the shoot. I missed, actually, the beginning of the shooting because I had other engagements. But the script was so clear and the graphic novel so vivid that it was easy to understand what everyone was going to make. David Slade and I had also worked a lot on the script and re-wrote the script to clarify, for example, how isolated the character I play is–how his family is gone and he feels intense loneliness and isolation.

EI: How was this final shot of you burning?

JH: It took seven hours of intense make-up preparation for me to look like this. They covered my face with some thin latex and it was quite uncomfortable. But I think it looks fantastic, and it was worth the pain.

EI: You mentioned the name of Gary Oldman. Are you aspiring to be an actor like him–with such a range and cache, or are you content with your acting?

Josh: I’m never content, and I always try to work hard to perfect my act. I want to constantly grow. When you work with great directors, this is when you can grow. For a long time, I was terrified of looking like an idiot on the big screen, but now I am not worrying about this but I worry about what my character needs to work, for the audience to believe in my performance. I’m driven by fear, I guess. Now I also focus more on the director I choose to work with. Before, I was more interested in what the role was and this was it. I liked David’s approach and how he was interested in making each character connect and how they work together to create a great dynamic on the screen so the audience can feel involved. I also like his approach with music and the use of sound. We recorded so many breath tracks because he felt the breath will create, in this isolated place, the rhythm and the tension of the film. The score is phenomenal because he doesn’t give you the bang right on the scare, where you expect it, but it does something odd after–it stays with you. It was great to work with such a creative and hardworking director.

EI: What has been your most memorable night, so far, in your life?

JH: Possibly it’s when I was a kid and my parents had this cabin near a lake in Minnesota. Well, we used to spend most summers there–weeks at a time–and we would run in the wild at night and scare the crap out of each other with my cousins and other friends. I loved this idea of being terrified and running in the woods without really knowing which way to take to end up safe. It’s really vivid in my memory. Also, it was kind of beautiful and romantic because the night was full of fire-flies, like lightning bugs. It was quite magical.