Q&A: ‘X-Men: First Class’ Star Nicholas Hoult Chats With The Famous

Though just 21, Brit Nicholas Hoult has already accumulated a pretty impressive acting resume: he was the titular boy in the Hugh Grant 2002 dramedy "About A Boy"; he starred in the first two seasons of the adored U.K. version of "Skins"; and he mesmerized in a white angora sweater in 2009's "A Single Man."

But though he may not be a household name in America yet, Hoult will surely achieve such status imminently, as he will appear in a string of high-profile films over the next few years, including Bryan Singer's "Jack the Giant Killer" and Jonathan Levine's "Warm Bodies." But first: this summer's "X-Men: First Class," in which Hoult plays the Beast.

The Famous spoke with Hoult over the weekend about how he prepared to play the hulking blue mutant, what it was like to work with (rumored girlfriend) Jennifer Lawrence, and his Royal Wedding fever.

Were you a fan of the X-Men growing up?

I was a fan of the cartoon, particularly. I remember watching it in the mornings when I was growing up. And the films. I read a lot of the comics before starting work on this, which was fantastic. It was great to work on something that's got such a vast catalogue to draw from and people know the characters and care about them.

How did you approach playing the Beast? I assume you came at it differently than Kelsey Grammer [who played the Beast in 2006's "X-Men: The Last Stand"] did...

... Of course, Kelsey had already done a version of someone who was worldly and clever. So I looked at Kelsey and kind of formulated my own version of the Beast -- not completely imitating Kelsey since he played the Beast when he was a lot older and was a politician and my version was a young nervous scientist.... And then they needed me to put on a bit of weight. So I did that. But I couldn't put on too much because I had already been fitted for the rubber muscle suit that I wear once I'm Beast. They actually had to take it out a little bit because I had put on a bit too much weight when I was beefing up before shooting. It was very hot inside the suit with all the makeup on, so I had to be quite fit for that.

When I was growing up, I was all about Cyclops for some reason. Did you have a favorite X-Men growing up? Or at least one whose powers you wanted?

Power-wise, I thought Xavier's powers were fascinating and would be very useful. The Beast was always very cool in the cartoon -- very witty and fun. So the Beast was always a favorite. Angel, I like. There's so many, that's the thing.... Juggernaut's a fun character, as well.

I always thought Beast was cool because he had the dual "I'm really smart and sharp... but I'm also this hulking powerhouse" thing going on.

Yeah, it was an interesting character to play in the sense that there's this juxtaposition of someone who is externally very different from what they portray internally. Very intellectual and brainy... but with this scary exterior.

How was it working with Jennifer Lawrence [who plays Mystique]? You guys have a romance in the film, right?

Yeah, there is a bit of a romance. There is kind of a mutual understanding between the two of wanting to appear normal and not feel uncomfortable in their skin. And Jennifer, obviously, with her work in "Winter's Bone" and "Like Crazy" and all those films, she's a phenomenal actress. It was a real pleasure to get to do these scenes with her. And you'll have to see the film to see how that develops...

Oooh, I like that little tease. With "X-Men," "Jack The Giant Killer," "Warm Bodies"... you kind of have this supernatural thing going on. Was that an intentional choice or is it sort of a coincidence?

No, it just happened. I actually was meant to be filming "Mad Max" and it got pushed and it got pushed again and that's when "Jack the Giant Killer" came up. But they're all different characters. In "X-Men" I obviously played Beast. And in "Jack the Giant Killer," I play a young farmer falling in love with a princess and trying to save her. And "Warm Bodies," I'm a romantic zombie. They're very different roles. It wasn't about finding these genre movies. It was more about finding scripts I enjoy and people I want to work with.

I assume, thanks to "A Single Man" and "Skins," you get recognized a bit here. But do you think with "X-Men," which is more of a blockbuster, you're going to reach a new level of recognition in America?

I don't think so, to be honest. Occasionally people will look at me and do a double take and they'll look at me like they're trying to think where they know me from. But no, I don't think so... For most of this film, I'm a lot bigger than I really am and covered in blue fur.

Do you still keep in touch with your "Skins" castmembers? I like to think you and Sid are still skyping at night with one another...

Yeah, for sure. We did the show when we were 16 or 17 so we basically grew up together and I'm in touch with a few of the guys who were on the show. I still talk to Mike [Bailey, who played Sid].

Have you watched the U.S. version [of "Skins"]?

I haven't had a chance yet, though I do definitely want to see it. I think I'll go back and revisit it once there's been some time.

Were you into the Royal Wedding? Did you watch?

Oh yeah, I was really into it. I couldn't watch it, but I listened to it later on the radio. Later that night a bunch of my friends had a bit of a party. It's great, the pomp and circumstance.