Hollywood star Josh Hartnett has no regrets about turning down Superman and Batman roles. He says he did not want to be boxed into the superhero type.

The actor admits that "at the time it didn't seem like the sort of decision I would be talking about 15 years later", reports metro.co.uk.

"There were a lot of powers that wanted me to pursue those films, but I have always been interested in stories about people and I didn't want to be boxed into that superhero type. Back then a lot of actors had to fight really hard to get their career back after they played those characters," he added.

Instead, the actor has taken interest in independent films. His latest indie project is "Target Number One", based on true events. The thriller is about a petty drug dealer who is framed by police and sentenced to 100 years in a Thai prison.

Hartnett plays real life Canadian journalist Victor Malarek, who is trying to free the dealer. "He is very charismatic and heroic," Hartnett said of Malarek.

"When it comes to corruption or abuse of power, he will throw himself in the way of the metaphorical bullets to save the people he is trying to write about," he added.