Actor Josh Hartnett finds satisfaction working on a new independent comedy

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Josh Hartnett is one of the stars of the independent comedy film, "Oh Lucy!" where he plays a man teaching English in Japan.

After he unexpectedly heads home to Los Angeles, a student named Lucy and her sister show up on his doorstep.

"When you're doing a bigger film, people are expecting it to appeal to a larger audience so that's what it's geared toward, it's ultimately made to serve that purpose," Hartnett said. "And when you're doing a small film, it's a personal experience for the director and so when that actually gets pushed through and finds a good audience it's very rewarding. I love this process."

"Oh Lucy!" features several Japanese stars who don't often get the opportunity to work in films seen in the U.S. Hartnett loved the work ethic attached with this project.

"They would give me a schedule that was down to the minute, when I was going to be performing and when I was going to be off and, literally, it worked to the minute," Hartnett said. "And that just doesn't happen here."

Hartnett said there's a real satisfaction and excitement that goes with fostering a smaller project, especially when every screening they've had so far has ended with a standing ovation. "Oh Lucy!" is also up for two Independent Spirit Awards.

"It's done the best it could possibly do for a movie of this size that is both Japanese-American co-production. It's not something that fits into a box very easily," Hartnett said. "There are subtitles, but it's not throughout the whole film. And I would encourage everyone - and I don't say this about every film I do - I encourage everybody to see this film because I think it's genuinely one of the most entertaining films I've done."

"Oh Lucy!" is in southland theaters March 2nd in limited release.