Josh Hartnett won’t stop raving about this Canadian province
Josh Hartnett may be the star of Netflix’s buzzy new supernatural thriller Below, but lately, it seems like Newfoundland and Labrador is hogging all the limelight.
The American actor has been back in Canada for the Toronto International Film Festival, where he took part in a Q&A for his new limited series set and filmed entirely in Newfoundland.
If there’s one thing Hartnett wants everyone to know, it’s that he really, really loves Newfoundland.
In Below, Hartnett plays a fisherman who finds himself protecting his family from a mysterious entity lurking in the ocean. The six-episode limited series was created by Toronto’s Jesse McKeown and filmed around Brigus South, St. John’s, Pouch Cove, and other spots on the island.
This isn’t Hartnett’s first time filming in Canada, though. Back in 2024, he spent a huge chunk of time in Toronto shooting M. Night Shyamalan’s thriller Trap.
While talking about his experience filming Below, Hartnett seemed more interested in the people and places he encountered off-camera.
“That feeling of hospitality that we had while we were there from everybody that we worked with,” he said, answering a question about his favourite memory about working in Newfoundland.
He recalled a memorable night involving McKeown’s father-in-law, some poetry, a sunset, and a “haunted hike” through St. John’s.
“It felt like we’ve entered into something — we’ve been invited into something that I don’t think many people, if they’d just come here as a tourist, would have a chance to be a part of,” Hartnett said.
Fun fact: Newfoundland and Labrador was crowned one of the most welcoming places on Earth earlier this year!
During filming, Hartnett said people repeatedly invited him to experience different parts of Newfoundland, including a lobster boil with his co-star Larry Barry, who is from the province.
“He told me Newfoundland’s history from his perspective, and I felt like that was just a strand of hospitality that ran through the entire production,” he said. “It was really nice.”
Josh Hartnett in Below. Netflix
Hartnett’s other co-stars, including Vancouver’s Mackenzie Davis and Stranger Things’ Charlie Heaton, raved about Jiggs’ dinner, a traditional Newfoundland one-pot meal made of beef, veggies, and pea pudding.
Then there was his trip to Inne of Olde, a charming St. John’s pub that many people say “smells exactly like Newfoundland,” where the actor participated in the traditional screeching ceremony, where people have to kiss a live cod to become an honorary Newfoundlander.
The actor also dropped by Christian’s Pub — a legendary bar that has welcomed a ton of famous visitors including the late Anthony Bourdain — to help screech-in others.
It’s not every day your favourite Hollywood actor suddenly appears at your ol’ stomping ground, shoving a fish in your face.
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“I’d simply pass away if he even acknowledged I was in the same room,” one fan commented on Instagram.
“If he says to kiss the fish, I am smooching that damn fish,” wrote another.
Judging by how his press tour is going, it seems like Newfoundland, and Canada in general, have gotten their hooks into Hartnett.
Even the show’s realtor noticed how quickly Hartnett seemed to connect with the locals.
“He’s a man from Minnesota, you know what I mean? I feel like Minnesota is like the 11th province of Canada,” McKeown told What’s On Netflix. “He was immediately fascinated by Newfoundland and went all in on it and had a wild experience doing so.”
Frankly, we love to see it.
At a time when Canada and the U.S. have had a somewhat complicated relationship, we’ll happily take a Hollywood star telling everyone how wonderful our people, food, and scenery are.
Below premieres on Netflix on Oct. 8.