JOSH HARTNETT GETS IN THE RING FOR BLACK DAHLIA

The Black Dahlia star Josh Hartnett plays an officer lime lighting as boxer Bucky Bleichert who with his partner Lee Blanchard played by Aaron Eckhart are on the case of the mysterious unsolved murder of 1940s starlet Elizabeth Short in Los Angeles. Josh is not as methodical in real life as his character often throwing himself into situations to see what happens but he was very meticulous about getting down all the right moves in the boxing ring.

The screenplay was based on the novel by James Ellroy whose L.A. Confidential made an Oscar winning translation to the screen. James feels very connected to the story as he was born a year after the Los Angeles gruesome murder, and reveals that his own mother came to a tragic fate strikingly similar with the Black Dahlia which inspired him to write the book.

“Personally I just throw myself into situations and see what happens. I’m a little bit more like Lee in that way. That was a challenge. Also the physicality of the character was a challenge. I spent about seven months at the gym preparing for this so that was both difficult and exciting. It helped me immensely with the character.”

The Black Dahlia also stars Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank, opening Friday in theaters nationwide.

“On June 22, 1958 when I was 10 years old my mother was murdered east of downtown L.A. It was unsolved rape homicide. I got obsessed with crime. Seven months later my father got me Jack Webb’s book the Badge. He contained a haunting 10 page summary of The Black Dahlia murder case. From that point on my mother and the Black Dahlia as one many years later I wrote the book.”