Josh Hartnett Says He Based ‘Trap’ Serial Killer on People in Film Industry

Josh Hartnett took some inspiration from his real life for his recent serial killer role … saying he based his psychopath on others he’s met — in the film industry!

The actor sat down for an interview with Entertainment Weekly Friday … and he talks about diving into the mind of a serial killer like he did for his new movie “Trap” directed by M. Night Shyamalan.

Hartnett explains there are a lot of people on top — CEOs, politicians and even people in entertainment — who will say or do anything to get what they want … regardless of the people they hurt to do it.

JH says a lack of empathy’s a telltale sign for a psychopath … and, he’s met tons of people like this — implying he’s interacted with some seriously messed up people in the film industry.

This jibes with other comments Josh made recently … admitting he bailed on the film industry partially because he was afraid fame was going to steamroll him.

Remember … Hartnett opened up about getting stalked during a recent interview — and those experiences made him worry H’wood would end his life, so he left before it could.

BTW … Hartnett dug deep for his “Trap” performance — but, critics aren’t overly impressed with the finished product. The movie’s got a 47% on Rotten Tomatoes though many are blaming the writing and directing rather than Josh’s performance.