Nicholas Hoult
Nicholas Hoult | |
|---|---|
 Hoult at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival | |
| Born | Nicholas Caradoc Hoult 7 December 1989 |
| Other names | Nick Hoult |
| Citizenship | British |
| Education | Sylvia Young Theatre School |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1996–present |
Nicholas Caradoc "Nick" Hoult[1] (born 7 December 1989)[2][3][4] is an English actor. Born in Berkshire, Hoult made his professional acting debut at the age of seven in the 1996 film Intimate Relations. He received recognition after landing the role of Marcus Brewer in About a Boy, for which he was nominated for the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Young Performer. He received further acclaim for his performance as Tony Stonem in Skins.
Following these roles, Hoult found significant commercial success after landing the role of Beast in the X-Men films. For his role as the sentient zombie "R" in the romantic zombie comedy Warm Bodies, he received three Teen Choice Award nominations and won the Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout. In 2015, he starred as Lyle Wirth in Dark Places and as the War Boy Nux in Mad Max: Fury Road, and in 2016 reprised his role as Beast in the superhero film X-Men: Apocalypse.
Early life
Hoult was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, the third of four children of Glenis (née Brown; born 1954), a piano teacher, and Roger Hoult (born 1953), a retired pilot for British Airways. His siblings are James (b. 1977), Rosanna (b. 1984) and Clarista (b. 1992). His great-aunt was actress Dame Anna Neagle.[5] His older siblings showed interest in acting and dancing from an early age and took classes and attended auditions and Nicholas joined them once he found it interesting too, but clarifies It wasn't a pushy situation from his parents, and they were also pretty outdoorsy normal kids.[6] He practiced ballet along with his sisters and was involved in productions of Swan Lake and The Nutcracker with the national ballet, but claims he was never any good at it.[7] His great-aunt was actress Dame Anna Neagle.[5] He attended to The Coombes nursery in Arborfield, Berkshire. Then the Arborfield Church of England Junior School [8] On The Graham Norton Show, Hoult revealed that his middle name is Caradoc (pronounced /ka.rɑː'dɔk/), which in Welsh means "The Beloved One".[9]
Career
Early career
His ability to concentrate at the age of three when he attended to see his brother's play, got him his first acting job in the play "The Caucasian Chalk Circle".[10] Hoult started attending auditions after that and got his first movie role at five in the drama Intimate Relations with Julie Walters. After that he landed several guest appearances on TV shows such as Casualty, Silent Witness, The Bill and Doctors among others. Nick recalls he saw acting as a hobby rather than a possible profession at that age. "I wasn't in love with it, I just enjoyed it. It was like playing for a football team. When you got a part it was great. And meeting new people. It was an exciting new world." [10]
He was eleven when he got cast in the critically acclaimed comedy-drama film About a Boy, starring alongside Hugh Grant. By the time the film was released he had already changed school, to the specialist performing arts school Sylvia Young Theatre School in London. The movie's success gave him his first approach to Hollywood, the film performed very well at the Box Office and with the critics, receiving positive reviews and nominations to awards, Nicholas himself earning some praise for his acting.
He continued acting on small roles but abandoned the Sylvia Young Theatre School at fourteen and joined the secondary school Ranelagh because he still wasn’t ready to make acting his living, and preferred to attend a regular school to keep enjoying a normal life separated from the show biz. To this date he gives this and his loving family the credit of his healthy life by contrast to many child actors that go off the rails. In 2005 he starred in Wah Wah with Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson and reuniting with Julie Walters, he also appeared in the American film The Weather Man, with Nicolas Cage.
Skins Era
He was studying in the Sixth Form College Farnborough in 2006 when he got one of the defying roles of his career, the role of Tony Stonem in the BAFTAs awarded teen-drama Skins. At the time he thought they wanted him to play Sid, a character more similar to Nick according to him, and was doubtful he could play the manipulative, egocentric anti-hero, but ended up doing such a great job many people expected him to be like his character at parties.[11] The show ran for seven series, ending in 2013, but Hoult was only part of the first two. Skins was a hit around the world thanks to the thematic and unlike American teen dramas, casting actual teenagers for the characters, and having a very young group of writers. The great success of the show brought so much fame to Nick he thought it was unbearable at one point and even considered quitting acting.[6] But it was also that success that widen his opportunities as an actor, some directors and producers have claimed that his performance as Tony as one of the things that drove their interest to cast Nicholas in their projects.[12] Just before starting the second series of Skins he quit school and decided to dedicate fully to acting. After skins he acted in the first episode of Wallander starring Kenneth Branagh. Soon after that he starred in the West End play New Boy, the play being small and with not much publicity broke records on ticket sales thanks to his Skins fame.[13] that brought offers for Nicholas to extend the run but he was unable, since he had already signed to film the fantasy adventure film Clash of the Titans, the film didn’t receive good reviews from critics but was a success at the box office, the grossing was nearly half billion dollars worldwide.[14]
He appeared in the 2009 Tom Ford's film A Single Man as Kenny Potter alongside Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. Was cast just two weeks before filming started because the previous actor hired for the role quit unexpectedly. The film was critically acclaimed and earned Nicholas his 2010 BAFTA Rising Star Award nomination. That collaboration also gave Nicholas the opportunity of being the face of Tom Ford eyewear for spring 2010 in a very seductive campaign.[15]
X-Men, Mad Max and subsequent work
In January 2010 he was cast as Nux in George Miller's Mad Max: Fury Road, but that Summer when he was doing pre-production in Australia (the initial location of the movie) the production was delayed indefinitely due to heavy raining, the filming was scheduled to last several months, so Nicholas had no other project lined up: " I was down in Australia starting prep on Mad Max and they told us it wasn’t going to shoot that year, so I called my agent and said I needed a job. " [12] They mentioned the X-Men production was interested in him, so he auditioned and got the part of Hank McCoy/Beast in the 2011 superhero film X-Men: First Class, a prequel to the franchise directed by Matthew Vaughn. The film was very-well received by the critics, and performed slightly better than the first X-Men film on the opening weekend and worldwide, which was considered a success and that it was an excellent start to a new chapter of the franchise.[16]
Soon after wrapping First Class he started filming Jack the Giant Slayer, directed by Bryan Singer on the spring of 2011, on the lead role, his first on a big studio film. It debuted number one in 2013 but received mixed reviews. In 2011 he also filmed the zombie rom-com Warm Bodies directed by Jonathan Levine and based on Isaac Marion's novel of the same name. The film was also released in 2013 and got "certified fresh" on Rotten Tomatoes with a scoring of 80%. Nicholas reprised his role as Hank McCoy/Beast on the 2014 American super-hero film X-Men: Days Of Future Past with a budget of $200 million, principal photography began in Montreal, Quebec in April 2013 and concluded in August the same year, with additional filming and pick-ups taking place in November 2013 and February 2014. The film premiered in New York City on May 10, 2014, and was theatrically released on May 23. X-Men: Days of Future Past became the best-reviewed film in the X-Men film series, having been praised for its story, visual effects, action scenes, acting and thematic elements. During its theatrical run, the film earned over $747 million worldwide, making it the 6th highest grossing film of 2014, as well as the highest-grossing film in the series until 2016 when it was surpassed by Deadpool. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects, making it the first X-Men film to be nominated for an Oscar.
In between his big Hollywood productions Hoult also decided to film much smaller character driven independent films, like Jack Paltrow's Young Ones, starring with Michael Shannon and Elle Fanning. The mystery thriller adaptation Dark Places directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner, with Charlize Theron, Christina Hendricks and Chloë Grace Moretz. The 2015 British dark comedy crime-thriller film directed by Owen Harris, Kill Your Friends script written by John Niven based on his own written 2008 novel of the same name, playing the lead character Steven Stelfox, alongside Craig Roberts, James Corden, Tom Riley and Ed Skrein. And Equals an American science fiction dystopian romantic drama film directed by Drake Doremus starring opposite Kristen Stewart.
After couple of years of delay, and much more years in development, Mad Max: Fury Road was finally filmed in 2012 from June to December in Namibia. The cast included: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Zoe Kravitz and Hugh Keays-Byrne among others. The film had its world premiere on 7 May 2015 at the TCL Chinese Theatre. It began a worldwide theatrical release on 14 May 2015, including an out-of-competition screening at the 68th Cannes Film Festival, in 2D, 3D, IMAX 3D and 4DX. It has grossed over $378 million worldwide, making it the highest-grossing film in the Mad Max franchise. Widely acclaimed for its screenplay, action sequences, and art direction, the film was ranked by many critics as the best film of 2015, as well as one of the greatest action films ever made. Fury Road won multiple critical and guild awards, and received ten Academy Award nominations including Best Picture and Best Director for George Miller. It won six: Best Costume Design, Best Production Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing. Nicholas performance was praised by many critics and his character and phrases became very popular with fans of the film.
Once again and for the third time Nicholas reprised his role of Hank McCoy/Beast for the 2016 American Super-Hero film X-Men: Apocalypse. The film wasn’t as successful as its predecessor Days of Future Past but it still got to be the third highest grossing X-Men film worldwide.[17]
Personal life
Hoult dated X-Men: First Class and X-Men: Days of Future Past co-star Jennifer Lawrence.[18][19] The couple split in August 2014, stating different work schedules to be one of the issues.[20][21]
During his childhood, Hoult played basketball for his local team, Reading Rockets.[22] He is currently an ambassador for the club.[23] He lives in London.[24]
Charity work
Nicholas has worked with different charities over the years, specially those aimed to help children and young people. In 2007 he was inducted into the NSPCC Hall of Fame for his contribution in helping fight child cruelty.[25] He has been involved with Teenage Cancer Trust from 2009 to date. Over the years he has visited patients on numerous occasions and fronted their campaigns, including a sun safety campaign.[26] In 2010 he visited slums in Nairobi, Kenya to see a Christian Aid project providing clean water and sanitation to thousands of people, during his stay he met the residents and helped to clean out sewage works. About the eye opening trip he said:
"I met great people making the best of the situation. They are very open, kind and loving but it is heart-breaking in many ways to see the living conditions." [27]
The same year he became the first NSPCC Young Person Ambassador, for the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, helping support the charity's activities aimed at children and young people, encouraging them to express their feelings and reach for help if they needed to. Hoult also supports Save the Children charity, including their Enough Food IF campaign to end global hunger. He contributed with Small Steps Project dedicated to supporting children around the world who live on rubbish dumps and survive from scavenging. More recently with Jeans for Refugees, a project and artistic fundraising initiative dedicated to helping refugees around the world.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Intimate Relations | Bobby | |
| 1997 | Mr White Goes to Westminster | John | |
| 2002 | About a Boy | Marcus Brewer | |
| 2005 | Wah-Wah | Ralph Compton | |
| The Weather Man | Mike | ||
| 2006 | Kidulthood | Blake | |
| 2007 | Coming Down the Mountain | David Phillips | |
| 2009 | A Single Man | Kenny Potter | |
| 2010 | Clash of the Titans | Eusebios | |
| 2011 | Rule Number Three | Matt | Short film |
| X-Men: First Class | Hank McCoy / Beast | ||
| 2013 | Warm Bodies | R | |
| Jack the Giant Slayer | Jack | ||
| 2014 | Young Ones | Flem Lever | |
| X-Men: Days of Future Past | Hank McCoy / Beast | Shared role with Kelsey Grammer | |
| Underdogs | Ace[28] | Voice only; US version | |
| 2015 | Dark Places | Lyle Wirth | |
| Mad Max: Fury Road | Nux | ||
| Kill Your Friends | Steven Stelfox | ||
| 2016 | X-Men: Apocalypse | Hank McCoy / Beast | |
| Equals | Silas | Premiered at the 72 VFF in 2015 but released in 2016 | |
| 2017 | Sand Castle | Matt Ocre | Post-production |
| Collide | Casey | Completed | |
| Rebel in the Rye | J. D. Salinger | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Casualty | Craig Morrissey | Episode: "It Ain't Me, Babe" |
| 1998 | Silent Witness | Tom Evans | Episode: "An Academic Exercise" |
| 1999 | The Ruth Rendell Mysteries | Barry | Episode: "The Fallen Curtain" |
| 2000 | The Bill | Hugh Austin | Episode: "The Squad" |
| 2001 | Magic Grandad | Tom | 3 episodes |
| Holby City | Oscar Banks | Episode: "Borrowed Time" | |
| Doctors | Conor Finch | Episode: "Unfinished Business" | |
| Waking the Dead | Max Bryson | 2 episodes | |
| World of Pub | 11-year-old show presenter | Episode: "Sixties" | |
| 2002 | Murder in Mind | Andrew Wilsher | Episode: "Memories" |
| Judge John Deed | Jason Powell | Episode: "Everyone's Child" | |
| 2003 | Star | Bradley Fisher | 7 episodes |
| 2004 | Keen Eddie | Edward Mills | Episode: "Who Wants to Be in a Club That Would Have Me as a Member?" |
| 2005 | Mystery Hunters | Himself | Episode: "Salem Witches" |
| 2007–08 | Skins | Tony Stonem | 19 episodes (seasons one and two) |
| 2008 | Wallander | Stefan Fredman | Episode: "Sidetracked" |
| 2012 | Robot Chicken | Harry Potter, Captain America | Episode: "Collateral Damage in Gang Turf War" |
| 2017 | Watership Down | Fiver | Miniseries; Filming (voice only) |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Midnight Beast | "Lez Be Friends" |
Video games
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Fable III | Elliot | Voice |
Commercial
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2014- | Jaguar | Boffin/Himself | 'Method to our Madness' 2014 Campaign for F-Type Coupe,[29] 'Master Plan' 2015 Campaign for Jaguar XE[30] and 'Smart Cone Challenge' 2016 Campaign for Jaguar XF [31] |
| 2016 | Sky Fibre - X-Men Apocalypse - Television Advertisement | Hank McCoy / Beast | Set after the events of X-Men: Apocalypse[32][33] |
Awards and nominations
References
- ^ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1984–2004. Gives name at birth as "Nicholas Caradoc Hoult".
- ^ Hoult, Nicholas. "The Nicholas Hoult Blog, 3 July 2006". Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 14 May 2007.. Hoult writes, "I'm still only 16!"
- ^ Thomas, David (1 May 2002). "About the Boy". Telegraph. London, UK. p. 2. Retrieved 20 May 2010.; Author refers to Hoult as a 12-year-old boy in 2002.
- ^ Pool, Hannah (18 January 2007). "Question Time". Guardian Unlimited. London, UK.
- ^ a b Shoard, Catherine (14 January 2007). "Teen player". London, UK: Telegraph. Retrieved 14 April 2007.
- ^ a b http://www.theguardian.com/film/2011/may/21/nicholas-hoult-interview
- ^ "Is this it?". the Guardian. 16 February 2007. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/passedfailed-an-education-in-the-life-of-nicholas-hoult-actor-6111973.html
- ^ "How do you pronounce 'Denzel'? - The Graham Norton Show". YouTube. Retrieved 27 February 2014.
- ^ a b http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/4927069/Nicholas-Hoult-about-a-man.html
- ^ https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/jan/31/nicholas-hoult-skins-bafta-hollywood
- ^ a b http://www.elliottwdavid.com/nicholas-hoult-1/
- ^ http://www.standard.co.uk/news/fans-of-skins-tv-show-rush-to-see-new-boy-in-the-west-end-6898345.html
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=clashofthetitans10.htm
- ^ hypebeast.com/2010/2/tom-ford-eyewear-spring-2010-campaign
- ^ http://www.webcitation.org/5zHCWdzIc
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/franchises/chart/?id=xmen.htm
- ^ "Jennifer Lawrence And Nicholas Hoult Together At The Golden Globes". Huffington Post. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
- ^ Ryder, Taryn. "8 Things You Didn't See at the 2014 Golden Globe Awards". Yahoo!. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
- ^ Simi John (3 August 2014). "Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult Split for Second Time: Couple Blame 'Difficult Schedules' for Break-Up". International Business Times. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ K.C. Blumm (1 August 2014). "Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult Have Split". People. Retrieved 4 August 2014.
- ^ "Reading Rockets fail in bid to go up a league because of Rivermead seating". Reading GetReading. Retrieved 4 October 2015.
- ^ http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/nicholas-hoult-boosts-support-reading-8672408
- ^ "Nicholas Hoult on 'Kill Your Friends', Jennifer Lawrence, and being a child actor".
- ^ http://www.thestar.co.uk/whats-on/out-and-about/award-for-noel-s-charity-effort-1-352311
- ^ https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/about-us/our-story/people/ambassadors/nicholas-hoult
- ^ http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/local-news/nick-hoult-finds-inspiration-christian-4226460
- ^ Siegemund-Broka, Austin. "Ariana Grande, Nicholas Hoult, Katie Holmes Join 'Underdogs' Voice Cast". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAlwWKlbmD8
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fPmEhPCYk_Y
- ^ http://media.jaguar.com/en-gb/news/2016/09/british-actor-nicholas-hoult-takes-unique-driving-challenge-new-jaguar-xf-all-wheel
- ^ Sky Fibre and X-Men: Apocalypse TV Ad - Extended Cut
- ^ Sky Fibre and X-Men: Apocalypse TV Ad - Behind the Scenes (Visual Effects)
- ^ Collin, Robbie (22 March 2013). "Nicholas Hoult interview for Jack the Giant Slayer". The daily telgraph. Retrieved 4 April 2013.
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
- Use dmy dates from February 2013
- 1989 births
- Alumni of the Sylvia Young Theatre School
- English male child actors
- English male film actors
- English male radio actors
- English male stage actors
- English male television actors
- Living people
- British people of English descent
- People from Berkshire
- People from Wokingham
- 20th-century English male actors
- 21st-century English male actors
- Male actors from Berkshire
- English male voice actors