You'd think the hardest part about acting opposite Robert
Pastorelli would be not calling him Eldin, the name of his former
Murphy Brown character. Not so for Josh Hartnett, 19, who
plays the sullen son of Pastorelli's boozing LAPD psychologist
character on ABC's Cracker (Thurs.). Considering Hartnett's
duties for Cracker's premiere--making his entrance on the toilet
and then being gagged and handcuffed to a bed for 13
hours--keeping names straight was the easy part. "It's tough
when in between takes they yell, 'Cut!' and everybody's going
about their business and nobody thinks to uncuff you," Hartnett says with
a laugh. "When I
got out of there, I had no more skin on my wrists. . . [or] dignity!" Landing
the role wasn't
as painful for Hartnett, who nabbed it less than two months after moving
to L.A. from St.
Paul, Minnesota. And although he's a bit green when it comes to playing
the
Hollywood game, the actor proves he's rapidly adapting when asked what
advice he'd give
to those who'd like to duplicate his success: "Be honest with yourself
and lie to everyone
else."