Josh Hartnett takes on challenge playing serial killer in thriller 'Trap'

By Hanna Rantala

LONDON (Reuters) - Josh Hartnett says his role as a shrewd serial killer in filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan's new movie "Trap" marks a departure for him as an actor.

"It's unlike anything else I've played," Hartnett, who has starred in films such as "Black Hawk Down", "Lucky Number Slevin", "Pearl Harbor" and "The Virgin Suicides", said at the London premiere of "Trap" on Monday.

"Honestly, taking on this character wouldn't have been possible had it not been for Night, because if you're going to take on something this wild and this out there, you need somebody who you really trust behind the camera," the American actor said.

"And another thing is, I just always like a challenge."

In "Trap" Hartnett plays Cooper, who takes his teenage daughter to a pop concert that turns out to be an elaborate police entrapment operation set up to catch a serial killer - who turns out to be Cooper. The psychological thriller was written, directed and produced by Shyamalan, who is known for his unique plot twists.

"I try to create something really hyper original in the marketplace so I can compete," said Shyamalan, whose credits include "The Sixth Sense", "Signs" and "Split".

That originality means the work "sticks with you. The idea here was like a concert and a thriller together."

Getting into the mindset of the character involved reading about psychopathy and sociopathy and long discussions with Shyamalan about the tone they wanted the character and the movie to take, Hartnett said.

The result was another career high point, said Hartnett, 46, who started acting in the late 1990s and whose recent work includes roles in Christopher Nolan's "Oppenheimer" and Guy Ritchie's "Wrath of Man" as well as parts in TV series "Black Mirror" and "The Bear".

"Trap" is out in cinemas globally in August.

(Reporting by Hanna Rantala; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)