Trap star Josh Hartnett campaigned for his character's distinctive blonde hair in new action movie that's basically Bullet Train on a plane

Josh Hartnett in Fight or Flight
(Image credit: Sky Cinema)

Fight or Flight lands on our screens very soon as a new plane-set action thriller that sounds like Bullet Train meets John Wick. It stars Trap actor Josh Hartnett as a mercenary tasked with finding a mysterious criminal on a flight, only to realize he's also competing with a plane full of other assassins.

The first trailer gave viewers a hint at the carnage that ensues, with some sequences including a chainsaw, a drinks cart, and a drug-fuelled bathroom tussle. However, one of the biggest talking points was the Oppenheimer actor's distinct new peroxide blonde hair for the role, and it turns out it was all his idea.

"That was my decision, I campaigned for that," he tells GamesRadar+ when we ask if he had to be sold on it. "I just thought this guy's been hiding out in the same city for a long time, living in Bangkok, and he is being chased by a lot of people, probably has had to fight his way out of a few corners.

"He's over his situation, he is probably trying to evade through all sorts of different tactics. And at this point, this is the remnants of what he is, he's drinking all the time, he's got the remnants of a disguise from, obviously, a couple of months ago because the hair is growing in underneath it and he's just sort of giving up generally – and then this comes into play. I don't think he's a vain person either."

Hartnett had to train hard for the role too, which saw him performing his own stunts for the first time in 20 years. The graft paid off though as the actor recalls some of his favorite action sequences in the movie.

"I mean, they were all fun," he smiles. "I thought the bathroom sequence was a lot of fun just because I got to play with the barbiturate aspect of it, and any time we were able to introduce a sort of very different state of mind to the fight sequences. So in the end, as well, which I don't want to give too much away, when he's kind of in a different place himself, that was fun."

Hartnett adds that he loved working with the stunt team too: "They obviously do this all the time. I'm a novice. I'm in my 40s, like, how do we make this feel real and also kinetic and exciting for the audience?"

Fight or Flight releases on Sky Cinema on February 28. For more, check out our guides to 2025 movie release dates and upcoming movies.

Fay Watson
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I’m the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for the Total Film and SFX sections online. I previously worked as a Senior Showbiz Reporter and SEO TV reporter at Express Online for three years. I've also written for The Resident magazines and Amateur Photographer, before specializing in entertainment.

Read more
Josh Hartnett in Fight or Flight
Trap star Josh Hartnett's wild new thriller Fight or Flight is designed to be "be an anti John Wick", but with the same killer action
Josh Hartnett in Fight or Flight
20 years later, Black Hawk Down star Josh Hartnett says new action movie Fight or Flight brings him back to his stunt-sequence heyday
Josh Hartnett in Trap
There's a reason Josh Hartnett keeps taking unexpected roles, from serial killer in Trap to a physicist in Oppenheimer: "It's hard to be surprised"
Josh Hartnett in Fight or Flight
Trap star Josh Hartnett is stuck on a plane full of assassins in first trailer for new action thriller from the team behind John Wick
Josh Hartnett in Fight or Flight (2025)
Fight or Flight review: "Slick and silly action sequences garner well-earned John Wick and Bullet train comparisons"
Tom Hardy in the Havoc teaser
Tom Hardy’s upcoming Netflix action movie from The Raid director gets its first ultra-violent teaser trailer
Latest in Action Movies
She-Hulk on Disney Plus
Tatiana Maslany canceled a Comic Con appearance due to "filming commitments", and it could mean She-Hulk is in the next Avengers movie
Charlie Cox in Daredevil
Daredevil star Charlie Cox says keeping his Spider-Man: No Way Home cameo a secret for two years was a "nightmare"
James Gunn
James Gunn reacts to Jason Momoa almost spoiling his Lobo costume in an interview: "I just want to profoundly thank Jason’s publicist"
Jason Momoa next to Lobo
Jason Momoa has gone method taking on the role of Lobo: "I asked everybody to call me by my character's name"
Avengers: Doomsday directors admit it's a "difficult" movie to make but tease some great Marvel collaborators "old and new"
Robert Downey Jr. as Doctor Doom
The Russo Brothers say Robert Downey Jr. "tried to talk us into" doing another Avengers movie but they "said no" until they heard the pitch for Doomsday: "That story has to be told"
Latest in News
Dune Awakening
Dune Awakening launches for $50 without a stay in early access, and while the survival MMO "will not have a monthly subscription" it will have "optional" paid DLC
Linda Cardellini as Laura Barton in Hawkeye
Linda Cardellini cast as Jason's mom, the original Friday the 13th killer, for Crystal Lake prequel series
Cyberpunk: Edgerunners
Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 studio CD Projekt Red won't make survival games just because they're popular, but Netflix's Edgerunners anime is fueling dreams bigger than RPGs
Assassin's Creed Shadows screenshot showing female protagonist Naoe
Assassin's Creed Shadows Naoe actor was terrified to perform until her first mocap scene earned "a standing ovation" on set: "Maybe I can do this mocap thing"
Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel may have just sneakily confirmed one of the biggest Daredevil: Born Again fan theories
Assassin's Creed Shadows cinematic screenshot
Assassin’s Creed Shadows Yasuke actor says that Naoe could beat his samurai in a fight: “Especially with that big a** helmet of mine”