“He is what I think a movie star is”: the actor Clint Eastwood tipped for the very top
To many, Clint Eastwood is an archetypal Hollywood star, rising to prominence in the 1960s and becoming a pure force of nature. Starring as the Man With No Name in the Dollars Trilogy, the actor became a well known figure in the film industry, instantly recognisable for his antihero character.
Eastwood has since starred in many successful movies, including the Dirty Harry series and various other westerns, like Pale Rider, which he directed himself. In fact, Eastwood has now found considerable acclaim as a filmmaker, directing many of Hollywood’s biggest stars in dramas, thrillers, war films, romances, and action movies. He has picked up two ‘Best Director’ Academy Awards for Unforgiven and Million Dollar Baby, both of which also won ‘Best Picture’.
His career as a director has seen Eastwood work with many iconic actors. One of his most frequent collaborators is Morgan Freeman, although the filmmaker has directed other notable stars like Sean Penn, Angelina Jolie, Meryl Streep, and Leonardo DiCaprio.
There is one actor that Eastwood has recently raved about who, despite appearing in many mainstream productions, perhaps doesn’t yet own the label of Hollywood royalty. Nicholas Hoult, who began his career as a child, has risen up the ranks and starred in many popular movies, but it sometimes feels like he doesn’t get the recognition he deserves.
Still, to Eastwood, who cast Hoult in his upcoming film Juror #2, the actor is “what I think a movie star is”. He told People that he was part of “a really great group of actors” starring in his new movie and he was “really impressed with” Hoult. He added: “Everyone was very professional, came prepared and ready to work, but more than that they came and we laughed every day. Whether I’m directing or acting, I think it’s important to enjoy the work, and we did.”
Hoult bagged the main role as Justin, a juror who struggles with a moral dilemma while working on a case. It is one of many high-profile roles that the actor will be appearing in over the coming months, alongside titles like Nosferatu, The Order, and Superman.
Yet, in the early days of his career, he was the star of many iconic British productions, like the comedy About a Boy, playing the young boy who Hugh Grant’s character takes under his wing. Then, he earned a leading role as Tony in the teen drama series Skins, helping to propel him to greater levels of fame.
His role as the narcissistic yet charming college student subsequently led to offers for film roles, and he soon appeared in A Single Man and Clash of the Titans. However, in 2011, he joined the X-Men franchise by playing Henry ‘Hank’ McCoy / Beast in X-Men: First Class.
From Warm Bodies and Mad Max: Fury Road to The Favourite, The Menu, and Renfield, Hoult has asserted himself as a promising presence in the film industry whose career is surely on the up. While it seems that Eastwood has made rather different career choices to Hoult, opting for rather different genres compared to the young star, he similarly found success on a television show before making it to Hollywood.
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