The Stunning Transformation Of Nicholas Hoult

In 2025, Nicholas Hoult began turning heads with his icy blond hair and smartly tailored fashions, completely embodying his movie star status. "I'm feeling villainous. Murderous. A killer, straight-up fashion killer," he cheekily told Vogue ahead of the "Superman" premiere. In the film, he plays iconic villain Lex Luthor.

But what you probably didn't know about Hoult is that he was not always so slick. Some fans may remember him as the kid with the shaggy bowl cut from the 2002 film "About a Boy." That was the movie that introduced Hoult, who was born in England, to American audiences. He was just 11 at the time — although it wasn't even his first role. Hoult began acting in plays when he was only 3 years old and made his film debut at the age of 5.

From early on, it was clear that Hoult had what it took — a combination of charm, humor, and natural acting talent that has had him working steadily into his adult life. Hoult has shown of his range in everything from teen drama series to period pieces to horror films and more. And while he is clearly very dedicated to his craft, the actor is also a family man, in a relationship with model partner Bryana Holly, with whom he shares two young children.

Let's take a closer look at the stunning transformation of Nicholas Hoult, from his awkward stages to legitimate Hollywood heartthrob status.

Nicholas Hoult was born in Wokingham, Berkshire, England in 1989. He came from a large family, with two sisters and an older brother. While his parents didn't work in the entertainment industry — his father was a pilot and his mother was a piano teacher — they were supportive of his acting career from the beginning. "I remember them saying, 'If you want to, do it, but you don't have to,'" Hoult told The Hollywood Reporter.

In 1995, Hoult performed in a talent competition called the All England Singing and Dancing Championship. There he caught the eye of an agent with his rendition of a song from "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," which he sang while donning a clown suit.

At the age of 5, Hoult landed his first film role in "Intimate Relations," and the audition process was a dream for a kid that young. "For the audition, I had to sit under a table and pretend to eat cake," Hoult explained. "I was like, 'This is easy. I can do this all day.'" In 2020, he joked about his debut acting gig, telling James Cordon on "The Late Late Show" that it set a precedent for the rest of his career. "They send me the scripts, I say, 'Will there be cake?' If there is, then I'll do it.'"

After making his film debut, Nicholas Hoult continued acting steadily, mostly in British TV series. He appeared in episodes of "Silent Witness," "The Bill," "Doctors" and "Waking the Dead." He made his return to the big screen at the age of 11, starring alongside Hugh Grant in the hit 2002 film "About a Boy." The actor played Marcus, an awkward kid who befriends Grant's character in a funny but bittersweet storyline. Hoult was a perfect fit for the role, which introduced him to a much larger audience, but he was initially unsure if he'd get the part.

"I could tell it was a bigger deal than other things, but by then I'd auditioned for 'Harry Potter,'" Hoult revealed to The Hollywood Reporter. He was ultimately not cast in the Blockbuster franchise, and he joked that he "must have done something really special" in order to be a British actor and not have gotten a part. But "About a Boy" proved to be a hit and Hoult was nominated for a Critics Choice Award as well as a Young Artist Award for his performance. And as a bonus, he picked up some tips from observing his co-star Grant. "Just watching him was quite remarkable," Hoult shared with Elle. "He's one of the most charming people in the world."

By the time he was 18, Nicholas Hoult was starring as Tony is the hit U.K. series "Skins." The show was considered controversial due to its explicit depictions of teenage sex and drug use. In a 2007 interview with The Guardian, Hoult defended the show, explaining, "That stuff's in there because it's a part of teenage life." He added, "Anybody who has a problem with 'Skins' obviously doesn't understand teenage life."

The series garnered Hoult a whole new level of fame, as he recalled in an interview with Vulture: "I'd be sitting in a car waiting for my little sister to come out of her classes, on a street corner, and there were like a hundred people gathered outside the car watching me."

While "Skins" was undoubtedly popular in the U.K., Hoult had yet to get his break in American television. But it wasn't for lack of trying. The actor revealed that he auditioned for CW's reboot of the iconic '90s series "Beverly Hills, 90210." Not only did Hoult not get a part, he didn't even get very far in the audition process. "I did one reading, and then they were like, 'Great, thanks,'" the actor told The Hollywood Reporter. "I was like, 'Should we put it on tape?' And they were like, 'No, I think we're good.'"

The fact that Nicholas Hoult wasn't cast in "90210" turned out to be a blessing in disguise, as he went on to star in the critically acclaimed film "A Single Man" – the directorial debut of designer Tom Ford. Hoult was not much of a fashionista at the time, and he wasn't aware of Ford's success in the fashion world. "I looked him up on IMDb, and saw he'd only been 'Himself' in 'Zoolander,' so I was like, 'Okay, that's odd,'" he admitted to Vulture.

Hoult was cast in the film after a different actor dropped out just two weeks before production began. "Knowing someone was there before you is a bit of an odd thing. You feel a bit of a fraud, like everyone's judging you," Hoult explained. "But Tom made me feel very comfortable, and he said everything was meant to be."

In the film, Hoult starred opposite Colin Firth, and the two became close friends as a result. Ford even gave them each a nickname: Firth was called Jellybean and Hoult was called Lollipop. "It was my birthday ... and Colin bought me a giant lollipop, and I've bought him jellybeans previously," Hoult explained.

"A Single Man" seemed to catapult Hoult into bigger roles in mainstream films, earning him the Hollywood fame that had previously seemed so elusive. In 2011, the actor starred as Hank aka Beast in "X-Men: First Class," a role that also led to a relationship with a co-star. Hoult began dating Jennifer Lawrence, who starred as Mystique in the film, and the two were quite an adorable item at the time.

"[My boyfriend] is honestly my best friend, and hopefully I'm his best friend too," Lawrence said of Hoult in a 2012 interview with Elle. "He's my favorite person to be around and makes me laugh harder than anybody." Nevertheless, this become one of Jennifer Lawrence's past relationships by August 2014.

"They spent a lot of time apart because of work, and it was difficult on their relationship," a source shared with E! News at the time. Despite their breakup, Hoult and Lawrence remained friendly and continued to work alongside each other in future installments of the "X-Men" franchise.

In 2015, Nicholas Hoult starred as Nux in "Mad Max: Fury Road." Directed by George Miller, the film also starred Charlize Theron — in one of her most dangerous movie roles – and British actor Tom Hardy. "Fury Road" garnered a slew of accolades, including six Oscar wins, and was a huge box office hit; however, the audition process was strange and grueling.

"It was five hours of acting games," Hoult told The Hollywood Reporter. "Nico [Lathouris, the film's co-screenwriter] would come up behind me with this rattle, and he'd give you words and you'd have to repeat them and move around this room." Despite the length and intensity of the audition, Hoult handled it like a pro, according to Miller. "It was very tricky, very verbal," the director explained. "And Nick just seemed to get through that. He wasn't daunted."

If the audition process seemed odd, filming the movie was even more so. "Mad Max: Fury Road" was shot in the desert of Namibia and featured monstrous vehicles and death-defying stunts. "It was quite disorienting," Hoult told Wired. "The engines were incredibly loud. ... There's so much sand and dust you can't see well. You're flying blind."

In 2017, Nicholas Hoult found love again with model Bryana Holly. The pair began dating that year, and in 2018 they welcomed their first child together, a son named Joaquin. In 2022, they expanded their family and welcomed a second child, whose name and sex have been kept under wraps.

Hoult and Holly were just as secretive when it came to their own relationship. It wasn't until 2024 that Hoult revealed that the pair were married. "I think it's fairly clear," the actor explained to People, although the details of their nuptials were not revealed.

While Hoult seems to prefer keeping his personal life private, he did open up about what family time is like their household, particularly around the holidays. "Just having a nice meal and hanging out ... and hopefully see some good movies," the actor shared. He also described a dice game he created, which makes him sound like a super fun dad: "When someone gets a six, they have to put on oven gloves, a hat, a scarf, and then grab a knife and fork and try and eat ... as much as they can of [a] chocolate bar before the next person in the circle rolls a six."

In 2018, Nicholas Hoult starred in yet another award-winning film, "The Favourite" directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and written by Tony McNamara. McNamara was deeply impressed by Hoult's performance and cast him in his 2020 TV project, "The Great," starring the stunning Elle Fanning.

It wasn't the first time Hoult and Fanning had acted together, as they starred as a married couple in the 2014 film "Young Ones." It was a dynamic they would recreate for their roles on "The Great." As Fanning shared with The Hollywood Reporter, "We have this history of him not being a great husband to me." While Hoult and Fanning played Peter III and Catherine the Great, respectively — a couple in a very tumultuous marriage — they got along very well in real life.

While filming "Young Ones," the pair bonded over their similar outlook on the entertainment industry, having both been child actors. "Our perspectives on it are the same, where it sits in our life is the same," Fanning explained. "We can relate."

While Hoult's character in "The Great" was not exactly the most lovable, the actor found him worthy of admiration. "Even when he's an idiot he's also weirdly quite right about a lot of things in terms of what it takes to be a ruler. That's quite an admirable quality," he said.

Starring on "The Great" got Nicholas Hoult noticed by one of the greats of our time. Clint Eastwood saw the actor on the series and wanted to cast him in "Juror #2," and Hoult was starstruck. "When my agents called me and said, 'Clint Eastwood wants to speak to you,' I was like, 'what?! Really?! How does he even know who I am?'" he told W.

Aside from the honor of working with Eastwood, who directed the award-winning film, Hoult was also happy to reunite with Toni Collette, who played his mom in "About a Boy." According to Hoult, encountering Collette again as an adult was quite the surreal experience. "It was this weird thing where I opened the door and was looking at her [in a new way]. I was like, 'You played my mom and were so kind to me,'" Hoult revealed. He added, "And now I'm an adult and we don't really know each other in our current forms. But it still felt very safe."

Collette was also thrilled to be working with Hoult again. "We got to become friends properly, and it's been a total gift," she shared with Entertainment Weekly. "It's a treat to come back together again."

In 2024, Nicholas Hoult won audiences over yet again with his portrayal of Thomas Hutter in "Nosferatu." In the film directed by Robert Eggers, Hoult plays the husband of Ellen, the object of Count Orlok's obsession, portrayed by Lily-Rose Depp. And not unlike Hoult, Lily-Rose has undergone her own stunning transformation.

Hoult and Depp's performances were striking, elevating the movie from traditional horror fare. Hoult could see beyond the surface level of his character, rejecting the idea that Thomas is a hero. "Actually, Thomas Hutter is kind of misguided," the actor told W. "He loves his wife so much, but he can't listen to her fully or understand what she's going through." The film once again showed Hoult's amazing range as an actor, but in his signature humble fashion, he expressed that he was just grateful for the opportunity to work with a director whom he admired. "I love Robert Eggers movies, so I felt very lucky to be in one," Hoult shared.

As for his favorite scary movies, Hoult told "HeyUGuys" that he'd recently rewatched "Frankenstein." "So tragic, that story, but beautiful as well," he described the classic film. He continued, "That's what's great about these stories, they're kind of heartbreaking in many ways ... and examine so much of what it is to be human, just through a different lens.

In 2025, Nicholas Hoult starred in yet another box office smash, "Superman." Hoult plays the villain Lex Luthor, although he originally auditioned for the role of Superman. The part of the iconic superhero went to David Corenswet, who auditioned for the part on the same day as Hoult. According to Hoult, he knew right away that Corenswet was probably going to land the gig.

"He stood up, and I was like, 'Goddamn, he's about an inch taller than me. Look at his hair. Look at his jawline,'" Hoult said during an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" guest-hosted by Diego Luna. The actor continued, noting that Corenswet's hands were bigger than his and his voice was deeper as well. "In that moment, whilst we were shaking hands, I was like, 'I'd be happy if this guy was Superman.' I was like, 'You're perfect for it.'"

The actors struck up quite the bromance while filming the movie, and their friendship was evident throughout their press tour for the film as well. For Corenswet's part, he was just as thrilled to be playing opposite Hoult as he was to be playing Superman. "The day that I found out that he had agreed to play Lex Luthor, I thought, 'This may be the best thing that happens to this film because a superhero is only as interesting as their villain,'" Corenswet said. "Superman" marked the second time Hoult had to shave his head for a role (the first time was for "Mad Max: Fury Road"), and he decided to let his son Joaquin do the job for him. "I gave him the clippers and just said, 'Go on,'" Hoult explained. "It was fun for him, it was like a little, you know, DIY project."