Why Nicholas Hoult Is Best When He Isn’t the Main Character

Success as a child star is certainly no guarantee of a prolonged film career, but for a while, it seemed like Nicholas Hoult would be one of the few young actors who would leap into movie stardom. Hoult was earning critical praise at age 12 for About a Boy, which would be helpful as he navigated his teen years on the highly popular British series Skins. Hoult could’ve easily landed a recurring role within a YA franchise and probably earned a sizable paycheck. His awkward charisma makes him well-suited to be a romantic lead, and at a time when most of the most acclaimed young actors of his generation have signed up for franchises, Hoult doesn’t currently have a recurring role in a major saga now that the X-Men series is being rebooted. Hoult has a lot of options in front of him, but if his career has indicated anything thus far, it’s that he’s much more interesting as a performer when he’s experimenting with something weird. Whether Hoult is consciously choosing to take on supporting roles and offbeat projects is unclear, but he’s had more freedom when he’s not typecast as a straight-laced hero.