Nicholas Hoult ate real insects while shooting ‘Renfield’
Renfield actor Nicholas Hoult has revealed he ate real insects during the shooting of the film, which also stars Nicolas Cage.
Hoult plays the titular character in the forthcoming film, while Cage portrays Count Dracula. The synopsis reads: “Renfield, the tortured aide to his narcissistic boss, Dracula, is forced to procure his master’s prey and do his every bidding. However, after centuries of servitude, he’s ready to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of the Prince of Darkness.”
Discussing the project, Hoult has now told Access Hollywood: “I did eat a fair amount of bugs. Crickets, potato bugs, the crickets were flavoured quite nicely actually. They were packaged and flavoured and dried. But the potato bugs didn’t taste good. The props department were amazing though, they did make me some caramel cockroaches which were delicious. A little bit sticky in the teeth but much better than eating cockroaches, I imagine.”
Hoult also explained how thrilled he was to be reunited with Cage after they worked together in 2005 on The Weather Man. In response, Cage said: “I was amazed at the poise that Nick had at 14 on camera. He was so confident. And I had no doubt then the star he would subsequently become. So, when I heard he was doing this, I thought, ‘I gotta get back in the ring with him, I want to work with him again.’ I was thrilled to see him… he’s my kind of actor.”
Meanwhile, director Chris McKay recently revealed Cage stayed in character as Dracula throughout the shoot. He told Insider: “Whatever scene we did he would still be 100% living in that attitude after we stopped shooting. So if he’s a little frosty in the scene he’s going to have a little bit of that between takes. But still up for whatever we were doing.”
Watch the trailer for Renfield below.
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