Nicholas Galitzine Recalls Meeting 'Radiant' Anne Hathaway at 'Daunting' “Idea of You” Audition (Exclusive)

The actor calls his 'The Idea of You' costar an "extremely radiant, beautiful human being"

Anne Hathaway has a "radiant" quality, according to her The Idea of You costar Nicholas Galitzine.

The actor, 29, tells PEOPLE about getting to work with the Oscar winner — whom he now affectionately refers to as Annie — after being a fan of hers for years.

"Annie's someone who perfectly encapsulates the type of career that I want for myself in the sense that she's incredibly versatile. She really is so gifted," says Galitzine, also known for the Starz series Mary & George plus the rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue.

And, "she's obviously this extremely radiant, beautiful human being," Galitzine adds of Hathaway, 41.

That radiance was on display when they first met for an audition for The Idea of You, a romance about a single mom who falls in love with a famous 20-something pop star.

Related: Nicholas Galitzine Explains the 'Pitfalls' of Dating While Famous: It Can Be 'Really Straining' (Exclusive)

"She was wearing these silver space boots, like high-heeled things, and everyone was just kind of commenting on the glow and the glimmer that was emanating from these boots," recalls Galitzine of the audition. "So I kind of went into this room and it became very human and chill very quickly, which was nice. Anyone who's been in an audition room knows it's a very scary place, very vulnerable."

Galitzine says he and Hathaway "just immediately had an understanding for each other and both saw the potential fun that we could have with these characters." As he puts it, "One of her greater gifts is her ability to connect and be open."

That chemistry test, however, was still "the most daunting audition I've ever been asked to do," for other reasons, Galitzine says. It required him to read several scenes with Hathaway (including a seven-page moment that brings both characters to tears) and he "had to convince her to do an improvised dance."

"And the third element was that I had to serenade everyone. I had to bring a song and sing," said the actor, whose character in the film, Hayes Campbell, is part of a boy band called August Moon.

Related: Anne Hathaway Recalls 'Gross' Request to Kiss 10 Men for a Costar Chemistry Test: I 'Pretended I Was Excited'

"She's an incredible singer, so I was fearing judgment, but they were all so supportive," he says.

"And I think immediately when I got in there, I knew I wanted to be a part of the project because [director] Michael [Showalter] and Annie and Cathy Schulman, our producer, they were all so welcoming and encouraging. And I think that just completely continued throughout the whole creative process."

The Idea of You is streaming on Prime Video May 2.

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