Josh Hartnett Got a Real Fishing License for Netflix's 'Below' — SkimNews
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- Josh Hartnett stars as Newfoundland fisherman Calvin in Netflix's "Below," defending his family from a giant squid, while simultaneously leading the box-office-topping "Verity" this fall — though he says the celebrity side barely registers because he's busy with school pickups in England for his four kids.
- Hartnett earned a small craft license and spent extensive time with Newfoundland fishermen, listening to "The Fisheries Broadcast" daily and working with a regional dialect coach to develop a family-consistent accent — accepting early online criticism as part of getting it right.
- Hartnett describes a transformative first-week encounter where humpback whales breached and waved their flukes around his 20-foot Zodiac a mile from shore, calling it a perfect "aha moment" that gave him visceral understanding of the ocean ecosystem his character inhabits.
- Hartnett praises show creator Jesse McKeown's script for embedding environmentalism organically into Newfoundland's fishing culture rather than "shoehorning" political messaging, saying the show's ecological and social themes felt "earned" because the community on display is real.
- Hartnett says his on-screen chemistry with Mackenzie Davis led executive producer Jessica Rhoades to develop a romantic connection between Calvin and Dr. Fonda, despite the original script having no "will-they-won't-they" dynamic — which he initially found "refreshing."
- Hartnett credits fatherhood with creating a "before and after" mind shift that pulls him outside himself, saying it has informed his recent parenting-focused roles in "Below" and 2024's "Trap" and reshaped his approach to acting overall.
Why it matters: Hartnett is anchoring two of the season's most-discussed releases simultaneously — 'Verity' topping the box office and 'Below' generating conversation on Netflix — while using a hands-on Newfoundland prep process (small craft license, time with real fishermen, humpback encounters) to ground a character he calls a 'perfect' fit for a parent-actor.
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