X-Men: First Class: Nicholas Hoult On Playing Beast

X-Men: First Class: Nicholas Hoult On Playing Beast

In this in depth interview, Hoult discusses playing the ever loving bouncing blue Beast. He speaks about prepping for the character, the prosthetics needed as well as revealing that Hank McCoy will require some cgi BEFORE his transformation. Check it out..

By MarkCassidy - Feb 24, 2011 08:02 AM EST
Filed Under: X-Men: First Class
Source: Bleeding Cool

The full interview at Bleeding Cool is huge so I left a few bits n pieces out. Be sure to click the link back to them below to read the full thing, with updates on Mad Max: Fury Road and Jack The Giant Killer.

Anyway, here are the highlights..

On the character of Hank McCoy/Beast..



As a character, I find Beast is fantastic, he is my favourite in a way. There’s this inner tension, because he’s a scientist, and a careful man, and a worldly man, and he has this crazy exterior. He’s scary.

..I hope the fans will like this version as much (as the original).

..in this film it’s more, he’s a young scientist. He’s very intelligent, obviously, and creates great inventions. But there’s also this side of him where you have this conflict of wanting to be normal and wanting to fit in. That’s going on. And then there’s also the side, once he becomes the Beast. There’s a Jeckyll and Hyde aspect, where he’s scared of what he’s capable of.


When asked about the makeup and CGI needed for the role..

Before the transformation, when I’m just Hank, that’s me and there’s some CGI on the feet and toes. And then, once the transformation to Beast takes place, that’s four hours of make-up and prosthetics with a full mask and wigs and fur and a big rubber muscle suit. That’s quite a transformation.


On preparing for the role by watching Kelsey Grammer(Beast in X-Men 3)..

I watched Frasier, I watched the X-Men films. And then training was physically, athletics. I gained a little bit of weight and still managed to fit into my muscle suit (laughs). We lifted weights, did some boxing. It was also in part so that we stayed energized. That worked out pretty well.

..it was so that I could get Kelsey Grammer’s accent correctly.

..I feel they were very different characters. In the other film, Beast was a politician, and he’s been in this place for a long time. In this one he’s young and he’s a scientist. And when he changes, that comes with quite a bit of anger and embarrassment.


You may remember Mathew Vaughn comparing X-Men: First Class to James Bond. Hoult's response..

To me, personally, I really wonder why he said that. We were doing a scene of hanking and waving, and Luffy said, do it like James Bond, say the line like James Bond. Well, he actually said, do it like James Bond, and I said, I don’t know if that will come off as cheesy or Bond-like. And he said, do it, and then we’ll decide.

..It’s a film that has its background in the great era of the 1960s. There is drama, and there are thriller aspects. It’s character-driven by Magneto and Xavier, because it’s about their relationship. It’s epic, but told with the characters in mind.




On getting a handle on the character, before and after the transformation. Does Beast remain his happy go lucky, upbeat self?

Well, in this movie, the end of the world is coming, so there’s not that much to be upbeat about. Maybe, if we make another film, we can get into that contradiction, that someone who looks so scary is such a positive person. That’d be great. You know, the film isn’t out yet, and that’s stuff I’m not comfortable talking about at this time.


Finally Hoult speaks about the decision to go back to the comics for the blue and yellow costumes, and has a message for the fans..

I think they did a great job in designing the costumes. About why the colours are the way they are, you’ll have to see it in the film, but it’s a nice idea of why they are like that. Yeah, I liked the costumes and the reason behind them in this film. And I think they work, yeah.

I think the X-Men characters and their universe is very important to the people, to their fans. We just hope that you know that we’ve been respectful, that we’ve got something new and interesting to see, and hopefully tell a great story. That’s kind of the main thing.


X-MEN: FIRST CLASS Was Partially Written In Claudia Schiffer's Hospital Room Due To Rushed Production
Related:

X-MEN: FIRST CLASS Was Partially Written In Claudia Schiffer's Hospital Room Due To Rushed Production

Matthew Vaughn Reveals Scrapped Plans For X-MEN: FIRST CLASS Trilogy And Who He Was Going To Cast As Wolverine
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Matthew Vaughn Reveals Scrapped Plans For X-MEN: FIRST CLASS Trilogy And Who He Was Going To Cast As Wolverine

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Orphix
Orphix - 2/24/2011, 8:40 AM
Nice interview.

Really interested in how they are gonna use the Cuban Missile Crisis in this.
Havok89
Havok89 - 2/24/2011, 8:48 AM
Cool interview;)

X-Men First Class will be best superhero film of 2011!
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/24/2011, 8:57 AM
x-men first class will be the second worst comic book movie 2011,the green hornet is the worst.

@ teabag

nice boobs,well done.
CaptainAmerica
CaptainAmerica - 2/24/2011, 9:02 AM
Sounds great so far, probably the 2nd best CBM this year next to Captain America. 3rd best if you count Teabag's Venom porn parody.
TheAmarilloBlack
TheAmarilloBlack - 2/24/2011, 9:20 AM
X-Men Animated Series' Beast is by far the best interpretation of the character. This kid should've studied that along with the first 3 films.

Still holding on to the hope that Fassbender and McAvoy can pull this movie out of the comicbook movie crapper and actually make it worth while.

Saw the trailer on the big screen last night with I Am Number 4 (which was better than I expected it 2 be) and the feel from the first two movies is there. Maybe it won't completely suck, guess it depends on how far the "love story between two men" goes.
Darkknightman
Darkknightman - 2/24/2011, 9:26 AM
He mentions Kelsey Grammer's beast, but I can't help but feel that First Class is going to ignore The Last Stand and X men Origins Wolverine. Just sayin.
MarkCassidy
MarkCassidy - 2/24/2011, 9:28 AM
I don't think it will completely ignore any of them, simply be selective about it! Which is either a great move, or completely ridiculous depending on how you look at it.
BruceWayneNewton
BruceWayneNewton - 2/24/2011, 9:30 AM
I am still pumped about this movie and it seems like this guy put some thought into his character. They do have some great actors and I'm open to seeing a bit of X-men history rewritten. The character I'm most excited to see is definitely Azazel.
kurekurcubic
kurekurcubic - 2/24/2011, 9:30 AM
well this guy is going to be a huge star in next 2 years.x men,jack the giant and mad max.and they are all franchise movies
Darkknightman
Darkknightman - 2/24/2011, 9:32 AM
I have heard that we will see Xavier and Magneto have their falling out in the film, as well as Xavier becoming crippled. If that turns out to be the case, then that essentially throws out the last two X men films as they both show Xavier standing.
Exiles
Exiles - 2/24/2011, 9:47 AM
He's a pretty good actor, he was really good in Skins, its nice to know that there going to add CG to beast before he goes all furry, because the in the trailer it wasn't that evident that he was a mutant, so making his arms, and feet a bit more like beast before transformation would be cool. This movie has me intrigued
ablee337
ablee337 - 2/24/2011, 9:59 AM
One of the main reasons I want to see this movie is to finally see an X-Men movie without Wolverine.
NiteSoul69
NiteSoul69 - 2/24/2011, 10:52 AM
i tried really hard to dislike this movie but after the trailer and all the great interviews now i am really looking forward to this, and i also enjoyed the green hornet. i agree with RorMachine and think it will be selective which it has to be, people just have to understand they have to make a couple of creative changes to make this movie work, enjoy it for what it is without getting all worked up about continueality, comic books also have continueality problems with different writers having different takes on characters and storys. Any CBM fan should hope for the success of CBMs so they continue to make movies based on comic books.
IronicMan
IronicMan - 2/24/2011, 10:54 AM
Looking forward to this more and more!
DDD
DDD - 2/24/2011, 11:48 AM
Hey TEA@, I've searched & searched but I can't
find that BOOBGOOGLE site!

Dammit, whar's the BOOBGOOGLES???
Frecks
Frecks - 2/24/2011, 1:18 PM
Meow.... Thats all...
marvel72
marvel72 - 2/24/2011, 1:20 PM
@ ddd

instead of putting in google,just change it to booble.

it cums up. :D
fullmetal
fullmetal - 2/24/2011, 1:27 PM
WHERE'S THAT LOSER, MOVIETHEATERFAG TO INSULT US FOR HATING X-MEN FIRST CLASS? he'll post soon....
LocoLobo1127
LocoLobo1127 - 2/24/2011, 1:37 PM
Not Buying It , the interviews are always good , its not like they are going to say anything bad about their movies , look at Hex it wasnt till much later that Brolin said how he truly felt
TheStranger
TheStranger - 2/24/2011, 2:14 PM
+1 LocoLobo
luckylu
luckylu - 2/24/2011, 4:17 PM
@weaponx- no that show sucked
Alphalad
Alphalad - 2/24/2011, 4:45 PM
Yeah that show didn't have an interesting plot at all. I think the same might happen to the Avengers - Earth Mightiest Heroes.
TayDee
TayDee - 2/24/2011, 5:43 PM
I don't care what anyone says, x men first class will be a great. Everybody bashes this movie because of the deviation from the source material but I believe this will be a good movie and will continue to believe that they will use the original first class in the sequel.
Denn1s
Denn1s - 2/24/2011, 6:16 PM
''we've being respectful''...no you have not but i will definitely watch it because it seems like a good film. bad adaptation though.
BronzeP
BronzeP - 2/25/2011, 1:56 AM
@Darkknightman - I have a feeling the rumour about Xavier and Erik falling out (and X becoming disabled) is false. I've read that the blue and yellow costumes do not feature until near the end of the movie, and in the trailer, where they are both wearing them they are working together.
flames809
flames809 - 2/25/2011, 9:25 AM
denn1s- yes they have they respect the characters story's, got havok being cyclops older bro right from the unlimated comics, magneto an charlies friendship, yea is not the original first class but there close to the source materials like it or not there close.
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