At any given moment, there is a lot for Nicholas Galitzine to be excited about.
In the last twelve months, the 29-year-old British actor has played a gay English prince in a salacious love affair with the son of the US President and stolen the show in popular queer teen comedy Bottoms, holding his own against fellow rising stars Ayo Edibiri and Rachel Sennot.
Then came this year’s horny and historical miniseries Mary & George, a camp period drama that sees Galitzine’s character groomed by his mother (played by Julianne Moore) to seduce the King of England.
Harry Styles but make it Hollywood. Nicholas Galitzine plays a British boy band member in romantic comedy The idea of You.
Now there’s the new age-gap rom-com The Idea of You, a film adaptation of Robinne Lee’s novel of the same name. Galitzine plays Hayes Campbell, a cheeky, tattooed British pop star (think Harry Styles) who falls in love with a single mother whose daughter is a fan of his band.
It’s kind of a reverse Notting Hill, and is widely being praised as the latest addition to the rom-com revival.
But when he speaks to this masthead on Wednesday morning, Galitzine is only buzzing about one thing: his football team Arsenal, has just beaten fierce rivals Chelsea to go top of the ladder. “This is a massive win for us—huge. I’ll have to text Annie; she’ll be so excited,” says Galitzine.
That’s Annie, as in Anne Hathaway, who plays his older love interest in The Idea Of You. Anne Hathaway, Oscar-winner and Arsenal fan?
Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You. The pair bonded over their mutual love of Arsenal football club.
“She’s a diehard supporter,” laughs Galitzine. “Her entire family are massive Arsenal fans, and I thought she was joking when she first said it, but that was one of the first things we bonded over.”
Chemistry is vital in any romantic comedy, especially when the premise relies on two tired genre formulas: a significant age gap and a union between a celebrity and a regular person.
In less capable hands, the story of a 24-year-old pop star and a 40-year-old single mother might’ve felt forced, but the two stars discover new life in a tried-and-tested idea. The meet-cute is pitch-perfect (Selene stumbles in Hayes’ trailer to use his bathroom), yet the film shines because it doesn’t bother with lazy tropes.
Hathaway’s Selene isn’t a sad single mum who needs saving - she owns a cool art gallery in Downton, LA - meanwhile, Galitzine’s Hayes is keenly aware that being a pretty face is temporary.
“The chemistry was instant.” Nicholas Galitzine and Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You.
Separately, they’re both perfectly likeable, but together, they’re electric. “The whole movie hinges on chemistry, and we instantly connected during the audition; we’re just quite similar people,” says Galitzine.
“We spent so long texting before production, so by the time we started filming, there was a vibe on set between us.”
The Idea of You premiered at South by Southwest on March 16 but will get its official global release on Prime Video on May 2. While there are no box office numbers to marvel over, the trailer has clocked 125 million views across all social media platforms, breaking the record for the most watched trailer for any original streaming movie.
It should come as little surprise that the film is being mentioned in the same breath as Sydney Sweeney’s Anyone But You ($330 million at the global box office) as part of the much-discussed rom-com renaissance.
Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell in the romcom Anyone But You. The film has become a global box office hit.
The timing couldn’t be better for Galitzine, whose credits also boast rom-coms like Red, White & Royal Blue and Netflix filler Purple Hearts (the seventh most popular Netflix movie ever).
“I like that rom-coms are having this renaissance; people are being reminded that there is value in the genre and that it’s a nice feeling to be emotionally affected by a film while also having a good time instead of just seeing another superhero movie,” he says.
“I was speaking to [actor] David Oyelowo recently; he is in a Western series right now, Lawmen: Bass Reeves, and I was saying how much I want to do a Western, and he was like, ‘Nicholas, I want to do romantic comedies!’”
History tells us that Galitzine won’t remain a romantic lead for long, like Jacob Elordi before him (and Robert Pattinson before him); the path from heartthrob to serious actor is well-trodden.
Julianne Moore and Nicholas Galitzine in Mary & George.Credit: Sky/Binge
“The success of the last year has given me a bit more agency,” he admits. “I’m quite interested in doing an independent film next; I want to challenge myself because I am aware that nothing is a given; there are many talented people in this industry who will never get a shot, so you can’t get complacent.”
For what it’s worth, Galitzine seems the opposite of complacent. He is quick to point out that only a few years ago, he was still working a variety of part-time jobs, from retail assistant to frozen yoghurt shop employee.
“I’ve been doing this for ten years, and it wasn’t until my fifth credit that I got to retire from my part-time work and become a professional actor,” he says.
“It sounds cliché, but that’s why whenever I’m on set with these incredible actors—Anne and Julianne—people with Academy Awards—I operate with a level of gratitude that I’m very lucky to be where I am.”
And let’s not forget, Arsenal are top of the league. Seems life is pretty good? “That’s nothing to do with luck, mate.”
The Idea of You will be available to stream exclusively on Prime Video from May 2.
Find more of the author’s work here. Email him at thomas.mitchell@smh.com.au or follow him on Instagram at @thomasalexandermitchell and on Twitter @_thmitchell.
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