A Single Man is simply great; everything most critics are saying is one hundred percent true. It’s nothing short of brilliant. If you happen to also be a fan of Colin Firth and Julianne Moore then it’s definitely a must-see — it ranks among their best works. Another reason to see it: Nicholas Hoult. You’re sure to remember him from the fantastic About A Boy and the highly underrated The Weatherman. Now he’s taken on a completely different role and has struck a cord of pure success. Luckily, I was able to do a quick on-phone interview with Nicholas where we mostly discussed the themes of A Single Man and I even got in a few questions about the upcoming remake of Clash of the Titans. As a forewarning though, this interview is filled with heavy spoilers so I recommend reading it after you’ve seen the film. A Single Man is now in theaters and I can’t recommend it enough.
How was the AFI festival?
Nicholas Hoult: It was fantastic, the screening went very well. Everyone went to the Venice and London film festivals with the film and so far all the responses have been fantastic. It’s great because it’s something I’m very proud of.
I noticed Chris Weitz was credited as a producer, was that how you got involved?
Nicholas Hoult: No, it wasn’t. He wasn’t really involved with how I got involved. I just got a call from my agent saying they were casting the next day in L.A. while I was in London. He just said I should get on a plane for this role… So I sent a tape over of me doing a scene and got an email back from Tom [Ford] saying how he liked my audition. It was all a very quick process.
Why do you think George is so infatuated with Kenny?
Nicholas Hoult: I think it’s something to do with how George has been living in the past. He’s lost a loved one, he’s dwelling on it, and [Kenny's] just so full of life and vibrant. Kenny drags him out of it and makes him have fun in life.
Maybe it also had to do with how Kenny is somewhat similar to George. They obviously both pretend to be something they’re not.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, they’re both very precise too. Kenny also has this girlfriend who he has a connection with, unlike George.
He’s also the only one who really notices that George is really hurt.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, exactly. He’s the only one that notices George wasn’t being himself and that something may not be right. He was the only person looking out for him and he’s kind of like a guardian angel. He just brightens up most of the film and that’s kind of what he symbolizes.
It’s sort of ironic though how Charlie really doesn’t see anything is wrong with him even though she’s known him for quite a long time.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, well Charlie is still caught up in the whole idea of them still being a couple.
The relationship Kenny has with that girl is also a little similar to what George had with Charlie when they were young.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, definitely. Kenny practically sums it up that he’s not interested by her. I think that’s also where George gets his intrigue from what he’s trying to understand in the world around him: to have a connection with someone. He’s striving to feel life.
You can see that when George is gazing into people’s eyes that he’s trying to make a connection of some kind.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, he’s making major connections and seeing new things.
Tom did a great job with having the colors and even the score also represent his emotions.
Nicholas Hoult: He did a great job with adapting the book as well. He did a remarkable job.
Were those techniques in the script?
Nicholas Hoult: No, we weren’t aware of that. That was a nice surprise.
It’s quite beautiful seeing that play out on screen.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, it’s a great way portraying how George is feeling with the voiceover and all those sort of things. With the combination of the score and the color separation you can really go on a journey with him. Colin is such a fantastic actor and he really makes you want to feel his emotions.
You never see dramas shot that way either…
Nicholas Hoult: That was obviously one thing everyone knew right at the beginning, that the film would be beautiful. A lot of people probably thought it wouldn’t have the substance to back that up, but gladly they were proven wrong. It’s a very personal story for him and he put a lot of time, effort, and care into it.
The shoot was of course very short, the film had a pretty low budget, and it was obviously aspiring to do so much. Was there any second thought about jumping on?
Nicholas Hoult: There wasn’t really any second thought. People say that… I don’t really understand that bit because it’s an offer to play a great character along with great actors. There was never any hesitation.
I didn’t mean that regarding the story at all, but about how the production was limited and yet it was so ambitious.
Nicholas Hoult: I don’t believe that you need… Sometimes I think there’s a lot wasted during production. I don’t think you need huge budgets and a huge amount of time. It never felt particularly that we were under pressure on this, timewise. Everyone was very happy and we never felt pushed or under pressure. You can’t judge a job by its budget and time.
Death is obviously the running theme throughout the film: coming to terms with it, coping with it, and even the beauty of it. Is there anything particular that you take away from that core theme?
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, very much… That’s one of the main themes of the film with love, loss, and understanding it all. I certainly take away a lot from the film especially at the end when George is laying there and just like that it came. It kind of sums up how the end of all life is death.
Aspects like that make the film very accessible and easy to connect to. Even the smaller moments like George’s narration explaining how he’s pretending to be something he’s not. People can relate to, can understand themes like that.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, Colin also has this perfect tone of voice to show that sadness.
It’s quite crushing but also heartfelt how he sort of gets redemption towards the end before he goes.
Nicholas Hoult: That’s kind of a great thing how he ends with that happiness and love.
One thing that’s great about the relationship between George and Kenny is that it never comes off as creepy or predatory. In the wrong hands it easily could have.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, obviously in the wrong hands it could have gone horribly wrong. It could have been seedy and I think the way it’s shot makes it work.
Well not just that, I think you and Firth made it work so well.
Nicholas Hoult: We did have a good relationship and that’s very much due to Colin with finding the right tone.
If you don’t mind I’d love to ask you about The Clash of the Titans remake…
Nicholas Hoult: (laughs) Oh, yeah.
I’m a big fan of the original, but I’m perfectly fine with it being remade since it is pretty outdated.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah.
So what was your experience working on that?
Nicholas Hoult: It was fantastic. It was my first time working on one of those action adventure films. It was very exciting to me and it was a big learning curve trying to figure out how those things work. To be a small part of it was very entertaining. I’m excited to see it and I was there a good amount of time… so much in those films gets done during post-production and it’s very exciting.
How was it working with Louis Leterrier? I’m a big fan of his work.
Nicholas Hoult: He was fantastic. He’s a top man and has nothing but respect for actors. He’s a very funny and very relaxed man. There’s a lot of special effects there…
I’ve heard Leterrier used a good amount of practical effects too.
Nicholas Hoult: Yeah, there was. There wasn’t a whole lot of green-screen work as well and they built a lot of sets. That’s great for us as actors to have an environment to act around instead of being in front of a green screen having things there you can’t see.
Did you see that teaser they just put out?
Nicholas Hoult: I did, there’s a lot more of the film that wasn’t shown.
It was pretty impressive.
Nicholas Hoult: It was. It had the rock music and everything. When we did it I literally felt like I was back in my garden back home when I was seven years old playing around. It’s insane, getting paid to do that as a job.
It was a little ironic though sine I saw that right after I saw the trailer for A Single Man which was also great, but they’re both very different.
Nicholas Hoult: (laughs) Yeah, they’re both very different things. It was perfect for the film; it didn’t give a lot away.
