Like many young actors, Nicholas Hoult was in the running for the lead role of Matt Reeves’ The Batman. He got pretty close to landing the role, even meeting with Reeves and doing a screen test in costume, but at the end of the day, Robert Pattinson was cast. Although he wanted the role, Hoult doesn’t have any regrets, as he told GQ that he thinks Pattinson was clearly the right person for the role.
“I think Matt Reeves’ ideas were fantastic and he made a brilliant movie,” Nicholas Hoult said of The Batman. “And I also think that Rob [Pattinson] did an amazing job with the character, and I loved seeing him in it.” Hoult added, “I don’t think I would have done as good a job as him, ultimately. I don’t think I could have fit as well into the world that Matt created as Rob did.“
While some actors may not be able to watch the movies they didn’t get, Nicholas Hoult doesn’t have that problem. “When they tell you for the first time that it’s not you, it’s painful, but then you have to accept it as normality,” Hoult explained. “I think that’s probably a strength of mine as an actor as well. I can accept that they didn’t cast me pretty well and when I see the chosen actor doing a great job, and I enjoy it, and it’s good, I’m like, ‘Oh yeah, they made the right choice. They knew what they were doing.’ It’s not like I’m sitting there like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to watch it now.’ It’s a good movie and Rob is brilliant in it.“
Nicholas Hoult can currently be seen starring alongside Nicolas Cage in Renfield, and his next project will also be a vampire movie. He’s currently shooting Robert Eggers’ Nosteratu, which he has said could be a “really special” movie. “Rob has wanted to make Nosferatu since he was eight years old and he did a play of it as well when he was in high school, so it’s been a passion project of his for a long time,” Hoult said. “Honestly, I wasn’t looking to go back into the vampire world again, but his style and tone are just so completely the opposite of (Renfield), and I’m such a fan of his work that I’m excited to be in his world and watching him and learning from him. I think the film could be really special, so I’m excited for people to see it.“
Renfield is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own David Arroyo right here. Do you think Nicholas Hoult would have made a good Batman?