Plus - 10 Things You Didn't Know About Nicholas Hoult
Remember that little cute kid in About A Boy? Well, Nicholas Hoult is grown-up and serious and accomplished now... and he's also the latest cover star of NME.
In the issue, out tomorrow, Nicholas talks about his latest movie, Kill Your Friends, as well as what it was like to play a serial killer. He says he read the script of the movie before the novel, but it was in no way given to him in a conventional manner.
'Gregor [Cameron, the producer] came up to me in Hyde Park a couple of years ago and just gave me a copy! I thought at first ‘Uh oh, crazy guy alert.’ And Owen [Harris, the director] wasn’t even attached then, so it didn’t feel real to be honest,' he says. 'I was filming another movie for a year and then Owen came on board – I’d loved his Black Mirror episode – so I read the script again and then the book, and it was at that point that I was like “F**k. I have to play this guy.” And, you know, that year in between made a big difference.'
Nicholas also says that surprisingly, he actualy enjoyed playing an unapologetic serial killer. 'Weirdly, I kind of enjoyed being in his company,' he says. 'I was reading the book again just before we started shooting. I’d be walking around town and occasionally I’d have to stop myself because I’d look at someone and hear [his character] Stelfox in my head. You know, what he’d think of them, describe them or what he’d want to do to them. It would happen a lot on the Tube.'
Scary, Nicholas. Scary.
And even though the actor is a star in X-Men, he feels that some superhero movies don't try hard enough.
'At times I’ll see superhero movies and admittedly be frustrated by them,' Nicholas says. 'It does feel like some are just packaging and they’re not trying hard enough because they know it’s a bankable formula.
'But I love the X-Men films because they have a heart to them and you have actors like Michael Fassbender who bring so much to the characters. The superheroes in that world aren’t smug. You don’t want to watch someone who you know is going to win from the start just being awesome for two hours.'
While we're excited to see Nicholas play a serial killer and we totally appreciate that he is now a grown-up, we also can't help fondly remembering the little floppy-haired kid that once was, so we've decided to reminisce.
Here are 10 things you didn't know about Nicholas...
1. His middle name is Caradoc
Caradoc means 'the beloved one' in Welsh.
2. About A Boy kicked off his acting career
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While he had been an actor since the age of seven, acting as Marcus Brewer alongside Hugh Grant cemented Nicholas's future as a Hollywood star.
3. His role as Tony Stonem in Skins garned him award nominations
After playing troubled teen Tony, Nicholas was nominated for a Walkers Home Grown Talent Award.
4. He's worked with the best actors in the business
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Like on the movie A Single Man, in which he acted alongside Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.
5. He's even dabbled in modelling
Nicholas was the face of Tom Ford eyewear for the spring 2010 collection, after Ford was impressed directing him on A Single Man.
6. The award nominations keep on coming
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In 2010, he was nominated for the BAFTA Rising Star Award, which was voted on by the British public.
7. He's a regular star in superhero movies
Nicholas has appeared in multiple X-Men films in the last few years.
8. He's been in a very high profile relationship
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Nicholas broke up with Jennifer Lawrence last year, with the time spent apart due to their work schedules playing a part.
9. He's very charitable
As well as involving himself in charity work with Christian Aid, Nicholas also supports the Enough Food IF campaign and the Teenage Cancer Trust.
10. His upcoming film projects sound very exciting
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As well as the upcoming futuristic love story Equals, Nicholas will also be appearing in another X-Men film in 2016.
To read the full interview, pick up your free copy of NME magazine this Friday.