Exclusive: Josh Hartnett reveals important aspect that drew him to new thriller Verity

After months of waiting, Verity is hitting the big screen next month. Based on Colleen Hoover's novel of the same name, the film sees Dakota Johnson play Lowen Ashleigh, a struggling writer who is hired to ghost-write for renowned author Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway).

After Lowen discovers what appear to be Verity's chilling autobiographical notes, she is confronted with disturbing revelations about Verity's husband, Jeremy (Josh Hartnett), and begins to question who she can trust.

Speaking exclusively to Digital Spy at Thursday's UK Gala screening for the eagerly-awaited psychological thriller, Hartnett outlined one of the main factors that drew him to the project.

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"The themes themselves didn't really resonate with me personally, but I like the idea of having multiple perspectives in film," said the actor, who added that it was "nice to know that maybe there are other sides to think about".

"Because we live in a world right now where it seems like everybody is coming with their own perspective, and being so vehemently and staunchly supportive of their own side without looking at the other side," he explained.

Hoover's novels have become increasingly popular on screen in recent years, with four of her novels - Confess, It Ends with Us, Regretting You and Reminders of Him - all being adapted since 2017.

Speaking about what makes her stories so appealing to filmmakers, Verity director Michael Showalter said their emotional intensity is a major part of the draw when it comes to the process of adaptation.

Related: Exclusive: Verity stars Dakota Johnson and Josh Hartnett praise "incredible" Anne Hathaway

"The stories are very big, the feelings are big, the things that happen are big, the characters are big, the emotions," he said. "For me anyway, it's fun to present life in that way with the huge tragedies, love, loss, heartbreak, joy.

"All of those things are so contained within her work. She tackles big issues too, so it's entertaining but it's also about something. There's more to it than just entertainment. It's also taking on some very serious issues," he added.

Verity is released in cinemas on 2 October.

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Reporter, Digital Spy

Harriet is a freelance news writer specialising in TV and movies at Digital Spy. 

A horror enthusiast, she joined Digital Spy after working on her own horror website, reviewing films and focusing largely on feminism in the genre. 

In her spare time, Harriet paints and produces mixed-media art. She graduated from the University of Kingston with a BA in fine art, where she specialised in painting. She also has an MA in journalism from Birkbeck University.