Nicholas Hoult did not receive an Oscar nomination for portraying Thomas Hutter in Nosferatu nor did he receive one for portraying Bob Mathews in The Order.
Nosferatu is the retelling of Dracula utilizing elements of the original technical ripoff adaptation by F.W. Murnau and The Order is the dramatized true story of the FBI's attempt to bring down a white supremacist gang called the order.
Nicholas Hoult has turned into one of the very best working actors of age group, turning in a wide variety of captivating turns including sort of his breakout into the actor with a lot of potential in his unexpectedly glorious turn in Mad Max Fury Road. That film was no fluke but rather an indication of what Hoult would consistently bring when offered the right opportunities as a performer. Thankfully it seems like many directors and casting directors are catching onto Hoult’s talents as he was not in one but three films in 2024, playing the lead, co-lead or at least arguably lead in each. Including the legal thriller Juror No. 2 which was a very 90’seque Tom Cruise style protagonist, but hit with even greater heights with his performances in The Order and Nosferatu. In the Order, Hoult plays real life wretch Bob Mathews a white supremacist who intends to try to create a literal order to essentially conquer and commit mass murder in the name of white supremacy. Hoult’s central focus on this performance is essentially crafting this normalcy within the man’s behavior and his actions throughout the film. Essentially Hoult depicts the character as truly amoral in every sense where it is less about the passion of the character for his hatred but rather the hollowness of the man. As in the opening scene we see a few crimes together with a murder, a bombing, and a robbery he is all overseeing. Overseeing with a particular choice on Hoult’s part to be rather vapid though unquestionably intense in the cold precision of his performance, as he goes from one aspect to the next with the eyes of a man with a clear plan and intention, without hesitation for the actions behind them, and a lack of concern it would seem when it comes to the law enforcement in his way.
On a lighter note, there is also his work in Nosferatu where he plays the least interesting major character in the original novel of Dracula of the equivalent of Jonathan Harker, the least interesting character in most versions of Dracula and often enough played by the least interesting performer within the film, notably, or perhaps regrettably Keanu Reeves and David Manners. The one prior major exception to this was the immensely talented Bruno Ganz playing the part in Werner Herzog’s earlier remake of Murnau’s film. Thankfully Robert Eggers seemed to follow such a type of choice by casting Hoult in the role. As the thing is Thomas isn’t really written in a way that is beyond his usual confines, he’s more or less just an average guy in an abnormal situation. The only major change I’d argue here is that Thomas seems a little smarter than many in terms of an awareness of the relationship with his wife, in this version named Ellen played by Lily-Rose Depp. And we open with Hoult very much being the romantic leading man towards his wife, which Hoult actually plays in a fairly measured but convincing way. Hoult doesn’t make Thomas the most charming man, nor the least, rather just a man who is charming enough. We see him with Ellen, who is more than a little on edge with Thomas likely going to be sent away for his job with a real estate office, where Hoult brings the right combination between sensitivity, practicality and reservation. We see that he does care for his wife in every moment he looks at her trying his best to comfort her, and when he insists on leaving it is with largely just the practical delivery of someone who knows he needs to do a job, though with enough reservation that there is the sense of the underlying history that his wife has mentally struggled in the past.
I suppose ideally contrasting his good man portrayal in Nosferatu which is as Mathews the amoral monster, which Hoult portrays with the unnerving quality being the consistent ease of how the man goes about his crimes. Which even includes his own hypocrisy where one of the first things we see is his time with both his wife and his girlfriend as wholly separate existences. Hoult's performance makes the choice of not putting anything on the surface of the interaction of Mathews hiding anything from either woman, even though he technically is and likely adultery might be something he might claim as part of a moral rot found in other places. Hoult’s performance though shows that just like anything else for Mathews it is just part of his plan of his life where there is this certain way that Hoult’s clarity of speaking and particularly his eyes that are so disturbing because the man has no doubts, rather he portrays someone who knows even when he’s probably contradicting himself. Hoult’s performance is effective through the consistency of it, as even when we see him through a bank robbery and when he’s almost stopped by Jude Law’s FBI agent, we see Mathews stop one of his men from shooting him. Hoult’s delivery and interaction with this moment of instant thought and without any desire for killing. Rather it is just someone who knows it is more heat than he wants at this stage, so he’s almost passive in the moment, yet in that method Hoult presents the calm detachment as disturbing even when choosing not to kill.
Back to Nosferatu, where in The Order his work is about the emptiness of his performance, in Nosferatu it is a performance that relies so much on internalization. As we follow him through a sequence that is my favorite within a film I love, and battling for my favorite set of sequences of any film from 2024, where we follow in detail Thomas’s journey to Count Orlok’s castle in order to settle his real estate deal, but obviously the Count has more severe plans for poor Thomas. Hoult is fantastic though in every step he makes through the journey in one where it is almost entirely based upon reaction. And Hoult is amazing in the way the eeriness of the scenes creep up on him, making it for it to creep on us as well. Hoult’s way of entering the camp of the locals is just fascinating work because every bit of confusion at first, with just a little bit of curiosity mixed with even a little disturbance, before settling in for the night, only to be awakened, or past dreaming some strange ceremony involving a naked virgin and the staking of a dead man. Hoult is outstanding throughout the scene because it is his ever changing expression of growing absolute disgust and horror before appearing to wake up, however with his boots caked in mud. It happens a lot in the film of the hard cuts to a Hoult expression and it speaks to the greatness of his performance, that not only does it never get old, every time it is powerful by how much Hoult brings in terms of granting a reality of the scene to the theoretical horror fantasy. Something that he only amplifies further as he approaches the castle, first taking a phantom carriage as one does, and every bit of Hoult’s watching it is so captivating. Hoult lives in the scene, amplifying it each time. When he finally meets Orlok himself, Hoult is marvelous in the building terror, and just how he starts scared, then slowly goes to true petrification as weirder and weirder things happen before he is nearly screaming inside in Hoult’s performance. It is a performance that shows the journey of horror so tangibly, because he so convincingly makes every reaction that of a normal man going through insanity.
On the other hand in the Order we see the progression of the man’s plan based upon a soullessness of his entire mentality which Hoult carries to unnerving effect. When we for example see two moments where he confronts the already extremist preacher, who even thinks Mathews is too extreme in his actions, Hoult’s performance as Mathews captures a fixation of the man to perform his actions as his own sick sincerity. When he rallies the crowd, Hoult brings his own fascist quality of persuasion in the cold exactness, propping everyone up not through words of love but rather this ferocity of this specific terrifying focus on pointing hate into one direction. The scene where you see him teaching his son how to shoot a gun is fundamental to the character because of the ease in Hoult’s portrayal has that same calm of a man who sees nothing wrong, just preparing another soldier as he would any other. Even when Mathews cases the Law’s agent in the wild, Hoult’s portrayal of the interaction is of it as an exact practice as any other, not even meaningful revenge just part of the process. Leaving really the climax of the film, where Mathews gets caught within a house and refuses to come out even when law enforcement sets it on fire, Hoult’s portrayal of the final moments of Mathews is still in the same inhumanity of the man. He doesn’t cry out, he doesn’t even express passion, just a man holding tight within himself, holding onto just that insulated hatred that defines the man and his hideous mission. Hoult delivering a strong portrayal of hate, that doesn't reveal itself as rabid rage, rather through quiet persistence.
In Nosferatu, Hoult’s journey within the film is very specific I think in terms of bringing you into the Harker/Hutter character than any other film, just by sheer will of his performance. As again, he doesn’t have that much more in terms of lines or character development, but Hoult is so on point in granting his own honesty within the dealing with the horror of the story with a tangible quality. As he is captivating in the exploration of Orlok’s castle, even going so far as to try to kill him, where Hoult’s sense of beaten down horror with fear is that of anyone with at least a hint of bravery attempting to exist in such a strange situation. Hoult brings the intensity of the sequence alive in every moment by making it all real within his performance, including even his just barely surviving being eaten by Orlok’s wolves. Hoult’s escape again punctuated by another great wake up freakout moment where Hoult expresses this sickness of both physical and mental as the man now haunted and somewhat cursed by his experience. Although Hoult presents intention and concern as the fundamental concern in Thomas as he immediately goes to save Ellen that he knows Orlok is after. Hoult arrives with such a power in his urgency with such a fantastic way of just flowing with his delivery of really a lot of very extreme lines regarding what Orlok did to him, and he makes them flow specifically by bringing such potent emotions to every moment. I love his work in the sequence where Ellen is terrorized by the influence of Orlok where she both tempts, taunts and seeks comfort from Thomas. Hoult is incredible in matching every extreme swing. Why Hoult is so great is that he shows this to be a tremendous weight upon Thomas, being brought to near insanity himself but trying his hardest to attempt to hold onto. And most importantly bringing genuine tenderness when Ellen regains herself, showing the most sincere care for her and making the love Thomas for her wholly honest. Something that is essential within the film, by being a glimmer of light in such darkness. Hoult brings consistently in Thomas someone who believes in the truth, given he’s very bluntly seen it, but as a real man would. Hoult finds the certain gravity within the style, and reality within the style.
One especially remarkable moment of this I appreciated on my second viewing was when he witnesses the end of his friend Harding (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), and his delivery of “I cannot bear anymore” makes the deaths that much more impactful as Hoult realizes such sincere heartbreak in his nearly defeated delivery and pained eyes. Hoult shows the real loss created by Orlok both in what he is taken away, but even in his own presence as a man who had some of his life spirit removed from him. Something that carries over to the finale of the film where Ellen sacrifices herself for the sake of everyone else, particularly Thomas, even sending Thomas away to help ensure the success of the plan and his safety. Hoult is tremendous, again largely through his silent work in the finale where he delivers the lines that aren’t there just in his reactions. His face as he rushes to Ellen is that of an undying love himself as he races to save her, and there is such poignant beauty in the modesty of Hoult’s devastating yet wholly tender embrace of Ellen in her final moments. Hoult makes that love she sacrifices for and gives herself for, something true and fundamental within this film which honestly either is lacking or non-existent in pretty much every other version of the story. Hoult gives low key an outstanding performance which is one of the most pure performances of the year. And what I mean by that is, Hoult isn’t working with an extremely complex character on paper, in fact he’s often a very boring character, however Hoult not only makes him captivating he amplifies the character and the entire film through his acting. He never allows himself to be boring, despite still fulfilling in many ways the straight man performance. But in that Hoult does everything he can within the confines of the part. He amplifies every moment he is onscreen, he brings a pivotal heart to the film and he gives a showcase on making the most out of what could be easily described as a thankless role.
(The Order)
(Nosferatu)
