Josh Hartnett on Living in England with His English Wife and Kids: ‘I’m a Foreigner in My Own Home!’

Josh Hartnett, a Hollywood heartthrob whose poster once lined the walls of teenagers’ rooms, recently shared how his kids often tease him. (Yes, he’s married, and we can hear the collective sound of hearts breaking across the globe.) The actor, who traded red carpets for rolling hills, has settled into life in the English countryside with his wife, Tamsin Egerton, and their four children.

Hartnett, who gained worldwide popularity after starring in Michael Bay’s romantic war movie Pearl Harbor, went on to appear in several other films. His career seemed to be on an upward trajectory—but then, we started seeing less of him. Around that time, he moved back to his home in Minnesota to avoid the glitz and glamor of fame. And when he started dating Tamsin Egerton, also an actress, he permanently relocated to England. The two got married in 2021 and are now parents to four daughters. Who knew Josh “Hot-nett” would end up a girl dad? 

In a recent appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Hartnett shared the common occurrence in their household when her daughters make fun of him for being an American. He told Fallon, “My kids love to give me crap about being American, because I’m the only American in our house. I’m a foreigner in my own home!” 

He went on to share how their middle daughter impersonates him: “She’ll just kinda turn to me and be like, ‘I’m daddy and I like pizza, and I won’t mow the lawn,’ as American as it gets, right?” 

The youngest daughter also joined in poking fun at dear Dad. “And then my littlest daughter keeps telling me what it’s like to be English. She keeps saying to me, ‘You might not understand this, daddy, but in England, we say ‘boot’ instead of ‘trunk’ of a car.' I’m like: ‘I’ve lived here longer than you! I made you!’” 

Fallon asked the 30 Days of Night actor if he already has an English accent. He admits to slipping into an accent “every now and then” but made a mistake of doing so in front of his family. He shared that his family mocks him whenever he forgets he’s American.

“The nouns are so different, there’s just every once in a while I use the wrong noun," he said. "I had my family over, I think last Christmas, I said ‘boot’ or I said something English, like ‘loo’ instead of ‘toilet,’ and my brother goes: ‘OK, Madonna.’” Hartnett chuckled, “I’ll never say anything like that again. I become more American when I get to the UK!” 

Get your Josh Hartnett fix: stream Trap on Max or experience Fight or Flight on the big screen.