Over the course of his career, Nicholas Hoult has portrayed two highly intelligent comic book characters, but his portrayal of one didn’t really inform his performance as the other. Speaking with ComicBook while promoting Superman, the newest Lex Luthor actor was asked if playing Hank McCoy/Beast in a handful of Fox’s X-Men movies helped him bring the iconic Superman villain to life. After poking fun at himself with a self-deprecating comment about his personal level of intellect, Hoult underscored the key differences between the two characters and their perspectives on the world.
“No, because I’m very stupid, so when I research these characters, it just makes me realize how stupid I am even more so. And then I have to stop researching because I’m like, ‘Wow, you’re so dumb. You don’t understand any of the science behind any of this,'” Hoult said. “So it’s best just to pretend.”
Hoult continued by highlighting the contrasts between Beast and Lex. “They’re so opposing in their worldviews … Lex is also reckless with his science and its progress at the cost of everything else, whereas Hank is not. So it’s a very different mindset.”
Hoult first appeared as Hank McCoy in 2011’s X-Men: First Class and went on to reprise the role in three sequels (plus an uncredited cameo in Deadpool 2). His most recent performance as the character came in Dark Phoenix, released back in 2019. Hoult has expressed interest in playing Beast again as the Marvel Cinematic Universe reboots the X-Men franchise, but his commitment to the DC Universe will probably prevent that from happening.
For his turn as Lex Luthor in Superman, Hoult looked more to the character’s on-screen past for inspiration. He’s spoken about how he was influenced by Gene Hackman’s performances in the Christopher Reeve films and Michael Rosenbaum’s portrayal on the TV series Smallville. Hoult has mentioned that he’s a big fan of the work both actors did in their respective projects. Rosenbaum’s Luthor was the first iteration of Lex that he “was more aware of.”
Obviously, Beast and Lex are on opposite sides of the good vs. evil spectrum. The former is part of a superhero team trying to protect people, while the other is one of the most notorious villains in comics. Though they both possess highly gifted scientific minds, there really isn’t much from one that can help inform the other. Lex is a completely different beast from Hank (pardon the pun). It’s interesting that Hoult seems drawn to these types of roles, however. Perhaps that was part of what drew him to Lex. He had experience playing a brilliant man with Hank McCoy, and now he gets to showcase a completely different side of that archetype.
Hopefully, Superman marks the beginning of a long tenure for Hoult as Lex Luthor. As the first theatrical release of the DC Universe, it’s definitely looking to launch a franchise that will be a reliable tentpole for years to come. Hoult is an extremely gifted actor and looks to be a fittingly menacing Lex in Superman. It would be great if he had opportunities to reprise the role down the line and continue adding depth and intrigue to a fascinating character.
The post Nicholas Hoult Has Hilarious Answer for How Beast Prepared Him for Superman’s Lex Luthor appeared first on ComicBook.com.
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