Bursting onto the big screen in the 1998 film series, ''Halloween: H20'', Josh Hartnett has evolved into one of the most successful and hardest working actors in Hollywood. From ''O'', the modern day twist on Shakespeare’s “Othello”, to ''Pearl Harbor'' and from ''Black Hawk Down'' and to ''Sin City'', Hartnett has worked with some of the most acclaimed directors in the business and has proven himself a versatile actor ready to take on a challenge.

Q: What do vampires represent to you?

Josh: They are interesting because they kill to survive and this is very animalistic. Also, the idea of immortality is intriguing to us, mortals. It’s some sort of mirror for us, to look at ourselves.

Q: Do you like horror movies?

Josh: 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. I don’t care particularly for gore. I don’t like most of the scary movies made today because they are just a blood-bath and don’t make much sense to me. But I love this one (30 Days of Night) because of its lyricism, its visuals, its intensity.

Q: How is ''30 Days of Night'' different from other vampire movies?

Josh: It was great for me to see the direction taken by David Slade and how he wanted the vampires to be primal and scary. He didn’t want them to recite Baudelaire. He wanted them to be very scary, dangerous, and frightening. No sexy vampires like in Interview with a Vampire. And finally what I liked was the curiosity 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 case study for these vampires. Therefore you have room 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 life. 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.

Q: Was this film fun to shoot?

Josh: Well, yes. You have to have a light mood when you’re shooting such an intense movie. Playing this type of character was fun for me because Eben is such a different character from previous roles. 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 to work with.

Q: Why do you think audiences enjoy being scared?

Josh: We live relatively safe lives in spite of what we are built for and can endure. We could probably stand a little more fear and danger. Fear makes people more 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 and 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 that inner tension.

Q: How would you describe ''30 DAYS OF NIGHT?''

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

Q: Did you do any research to prepare for your role as Eben Oleson?

Josh: Not really. We didn’t have much time to rehearse or talk too much with the director before the shoot. But the script was so clear and the graphic novel so vivid, that it was easy to understand what everyone was going to make.

Q: At this stage in your career what drives your acting or inspires you?

Josh: I’m never content and I always try to work hard to perfect my acting. 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 worried about this. Now I think about what my character needs in order for the audience to believe in my performance. I’m driven by fear I guess. I also focus more on the director I choose to work with. Before I was more interested with what the role was and that was it.

Q: What was it like to work with the director on this film, David Slade?

Josh: I liked David’s approach. He was interested in making each character connect and work together to create a great dynamic on the screen, so the audience can feel involved. I also liked his approach with music and the use of sound. We recorded so much breathing tracks because he felt that the breathing sounds 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.

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

Josh: It’s probably when I was a kid and my parents had this cabin near a lake in Minnesota. We used to spend most summers there, actually weeks at a time, and we would run in the woods 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 beautiful and romantic because the night was full of fire-flies. It was quite magical.

30 DAYS OF NIGHT is now on DVD