Josh Hartnett says his 12-year-old goddaughter couldn’t picture him as Jeremy in ‘Verity’

MUMBAI — Actor Josh Hartnett has revealed that his goddaughter initially struggled to imagine him playing Jeremy in the upcoming film Verity, saying that he was like “a thousand years old” for the role.

During an appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Hartnett spoke about how his then 12-year-old goddaughter told him he was too old to play Jeremy.

The actor said: “My goddaughter, who was 12 at the time, she's a very mature 12-year-old, she read the book. It's not really for 12-year-olds, but she'd read it. She's now almost 14.”

Hartnett added: “She absolutely could not see me in that role. She was like, you can't be Jeremy. You know, the character's name is Jeremy. You can't be Jeremy. You're like a thousand years old. She wanted, like, she wanted, like, Timothee Chalamet or somebody to play.”

However, Hartnett, who became known as a teen idol through starring in films such as Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, The Faculty, The Virgin Suicides and Pearl Harbor said that the character was written in his 40s.

To which, Fallon said: “It's you. It is all you. I guess. It's all you.”

Verity is a 2026 American psychological erotic thriller film directed by Michael Showalter, written by Nick Antosca, and based on Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name. The film stars Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett.

It is scheduled to be released by Amazon MGM Studios in the United States and Canada on October 2, 2026.

The story follows Lowen Ashleigh, who is a writer in need of work when she is contacted by Jeremy Crawford, the husband of bestselling author Verity Crawford.

Due to a mysterious accident, Verity is unable to finish her successful book series, and Jeremy asks Lowen to complete the series. While working on it, Lowen discovers another manuscript, raising questions regarding Verity's psychological well-being and possible links to her publications.