34 Nicholas Hoult Movies Ranked (Superman)
(Photo by WB/Courtesy Everett Collection. SUPERMAN.)
The latest: Catch Nicholas Hoult as Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s Superman beginning July 11.
What do the Beast, Lex Luthor, and Nux all have in common? These iconic film characters have all been portrayed by actor Nicholas Hoult. Hoult made his acting debut at the age of five. And since then, he’s delivered breakout performances in over 30 films. From About a Boy to Nosferatu, and with his highly anticipated role in Superman on the horizon, he has built a career marked by surprising and action-packed performances. Here’s a look at some of his most iconic roles, followed by a Tomatometer ranking of his films. (Michael Cahn)
About A Boy (2002): Long before Nicholas Hoult became a leading man in Hollywood, he delivered a breakout performance as Marcus Brewer in About a Boy, a role that would put the then-12-year-old actor firmly on the map. Directed by Chris and Paul Weitz and adapted from Nick Hornby’s best-selling novel, the film stars Hugh Grant as Will Freeman, a smug London bachelor whose plan to infiltrate single parent groups backfires when he meets Marcus (Hoult), an awkward, relentlessly earnest boy with a messy home life.
At the time, Hoult was still an unknown, with only a few smaller TV series and films under his belt, such as Intimate Relations, Silent Witness, and Doctors. About a Boy marked a turning point in his early career, not just as a child actor gaining widespread attention, but as a performer capable of real depth. His chemistry with Grant, mixed with his endearing performance, helped make the film a fan-favorite.
Roger Ebert on About a Boy: “[It’s] one of the year’s most entertaining films, not only because Grant is so good but because young Nicholas Hoult has a kind of appeal that cannot be faked. He isn’t a conventionally cute movie child, seems old beyond his years, can never be caught in an inauthentic moment, and helps us understand why Will likes him–he likes Marcus because Marcus is so clearly in need of being liked, and so deserving of it.”
A Single Man (2009): Hoult had already proven his talent as a child actor, but he truly began to come into his own with films such as A Single Man. Directed by fashion designer Tom Ford in his directorial debut, the film stars Colin Firth as George, a grieving college professor navigating life after the sudden death of his longtime partner. Hoult plays Kenny, a bright, curious student who senses George’s inner struggle and takes a high interest in him. Sharing the screen with powerhouse performers like Firth and Julianne Moore, Hoult was able to hold his own in the drama. His role offered audiences a glimpse of his acting range he’d continue to explore in the years to come.
The Associated Press on A Single Man: “Firth’s measured performance, delivered in a clipped British accent, has just the right restraint, and the intelligent dialogue is a pleasure. Moore is glamorous and likable as the alcoholic divorcee Charley, adrift without a husband. Goode and especially Hoult are just too perfect to be true, but they serve the purpose of offering George good reasons to stay alive.”
X-Men: First Class (2011): And then there’s X-Men: First Class, the stylish origin story that reenergized the iconic franchise. In Matthew Vaughn’s 2011 prequel, Hoult joined a star-studded ensemble as Hank McCoy, a brilliant young scientist whose mutation gives him enhanced agility and strength…but also that beastly blue appearance. The cast also features actors James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence.
X-Men: First Class marked Hoult’s first major role in a blockbuster franchise. It not only introduced him to audiences worldwide but also laid the foundation for his continued presence in the X-Men universe. Hoult would go on to reprise his role as Hank McCoy/Beast in several X-Men sequels, including X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014), X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), and Dark Phoenix (2019).
Variety’s Justin Chang on X-Men: First Class: “Hoult and Lawrence register poignantly as two young individuals trying to figure out their unique place in a hostile world.”
Mad Max: Fury Road (2015): Hoult’s next action-packed role came in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road, a visually explosive epic set in a post-apocalyptic world. While the film centers on Charlize Theron’s fierce Furiosa and Tom Hardy’s Max, Hoult makes a bold performance as Nux, a War Boy desperate to earn the approval of the tyrant Immortan Joe. Hoult’s portrayal of Nux is one of the film’s most surprising emotional arcs, and his performance has elements of dark humor, highlighting some of his comedic chops.
Fury Road not only became a fan-favorite film, but went on to win six Academy Awards and is even hailed as one of the greatest action films of the decade.
Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers on Mad Max: Fury Road: “The brutal and brilliant cinematic fireball that director George Miller hurls at us in Mad Max: Fury Road…the war boys, led by Nux (a terrific Nicholas Hoult). The boys lash Max to a speeding car while tapping his arm for a grisly blood transfusion.”
The Favourite (2018): Just three years after Fury Road, Hoult signed on to director Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Favourite. The film is a dark-comedy period drama set in early 18th-century England, and revolves around the power struggle between Lady Sarah (Rachel Weisz), newcomer Abigail (Emma Stone), and the ailing Queen Anne (Olivia Colman). Hoult shines in a supporting role as Robert Harley, a conniving, wig-flowing politician. His character is ridiculous, manipulative, and savvy.
The Favourite was a major critical success, earning ten Academy Award nominations. For Hoult, the role was another demonstration of his versatility, proof that he could not only command the screen in blockbusters, but thrive in period pieces.
ScreenCrush’s E. Oliver Whitney on The Favourite: “Those are the words of wisdom from Nicholas Hoult’s Robert Harley – one of the many standouts in movie overflowing with fantastic performances – a scheming punk intent on using Abigail to sway the court in his political party’s direction.”
Nosferatu (2024): Hoult stepped into the eerie world of Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu, a chilling reimagining of the classic vampire mythos. In this haunting tale, a cursed and obsessive vampire unleashes horror upon a town, centering his dark fixation on a young woman (played by Lily-Rose Depp) caught in the grip of something far older and more sinister than she understands. His performance as husband Thomas Hutter was highly praised, and the film earned Certified Fresh status just a week after its release.
The New York Times’ Wesley Morris on Nosferatu: “He’s [Hoult] strikingly strapping: like the Ichabod Crane of Princeton rowing. He can act, though. His work here proves how seriously Eggers is taking things; no one’s camping it up. The terror Hoult is asked to conjure isn’t the palm-out, hand-to-gaping-mouth fright of Murnau. It’s a truer, less theatrical fear. I could feel it.”
(Photo by WB/Courtesy Everett Collection. SUPERMAN.)
Superman (2025): Hoult takes on one of the most iconic supervillains in comic book history: Lex Luthor. In James Gunn’s Superman, Hoult will bring his own spin to the iconic character, alongside David Corenswet‘s take on the Son of Krypton. After years of proving his range in everything from period dramas to blockbusters to horror, stepping into the DC Universe marks yet another major chapter in Hoult’s career.
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