Nicholas Galitzine Is On A Very, Very Hot Streak

Nicholas Galitzine is booked and busy. Over the last three years, the English actor has jumped from Cinderella to Purple Hearts to Red, White & Royal Blue to Bottoms, and this spring he has two high-profile projects dropping in swift succession, each opposite an Oscar winner.

In May, he’ll star in the unconventional romance The Idea of You, playing a boy-band singer opposite Anne Hathaway as a single mom. But first, he co-stars in the Starz drama Mary & George with Julianne Moore, which follows the titular mother-son duo as they scheme their way into 17th-century royal society.

“Just getting to watch [Moore] was so enlightening,” Galitzine, who’s 29, tells Bustle over Zoom. “I had so much fun in the scenes that we were in together, whether we were in combat with each other or plotting together. She has such a high film IQ.”

During his press tours, fans have loved the sincere, awestruck manner in which he talks about his co-stars. And some of those actors are fans right back — peep this video from from the Idea of You premiere, which a user on X (formerly Twitter) captioned, “find someone who looks at you the way anne hathaway looks at nicholas galitzine cause oh my GOD.”

Below, he breaks down Mary & George, a hilarious makeout scene, and the actor he’d love to work with next.

Can you share a favorite memory of working with Julianne Moore?

I take the piss out of Julie for this all the time. There was a funeral scene right at the beginning of production, and there was this technical shot where she’d take some soil and throw it on the camera, which was shooting up toward us. And Julie, bless her soul, is not the most coordinated person. With four throws of soil, she managed to kind of christen the camera — one above, one below, one to the right, and one to the left. We were all desperately trying to keep a straight face in this really somber moment.

I read that you were watching Still Alice the night before getting the call for this show, and you’d also said you’d love to work with Moore one day. You’re clearly good at manifesting. Is there another name you’d like to put out into the universe?

God, there are so many. I’m collecting my “Infinity Stones of Oscar-winning actresses,” so Jennifer Lawrence is up there. She’s wildly talented. I love Ryan Gosling. His career is so versatile, and I want to emulate something like that. Robert Pattinson is a favorite. I’m a huge fan of Viola Davis. Florence Pugh is magnetic. I’d love to work with her in anything.

Speaking of Oscar winners, did you have a moment filming The Idea of You with Anne Hathaway where you were like, Wow, this is really special?

Annie and I became close friends almost instantly. We had such tremendous chemistry. There was one scene where we were passionately making out with each other, and there was a genuine laugh from Annie because we smashed into the wall, and a pot fell on the floor. They’d been like, “We want kind of hungry and chaotic,” and meanwhile we’re just smashing into the furniture, being really haphazard. That was a pure moment for us.

The internet has welcomed you in such a huge way. What’s your reaction been to all of that?

I try not to be too online, to be honest. So anything [viral is eventually] sent to me by a friend or my team. But having lovely, genuine conversations with people on the street has been so rewarding.

You’ve been busy with projects recently. Is there a show or movie you turn to in your downtime?

I like to watch a lot of animated stuff — more so than film and TV — because I’m able to switch off [my work mode] and not see, Oh, that’s an interesting camera shot. When it comes to anime, Studio Ghibli and great animated movies give me a lot of joy.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.