Nicholas Hoult, an actor, recently talked to Elle about a gift he got from director Robert Eggers while they were filming their new horror movie, “Nosferatu.” Eggers showed Hoult a framed prosthetic limb that co-star Bill Skarsgård, who plays the famous monster Count Orlok, wears on the show.
The strange souvenir came from a memorable moment on set during a scene where blood was drunk. After filming was over, Eggers asked Hoult what it was like. Hoult said that he could feel Skarsgård’s prosthetic leg against his own during the shoot. Because of this story, Eggers chose to have the prop professionally framed and used as a gift wrap.
When Hoult got the broken frame at home and had to take it to a nearby frame shop to be fixed, the story took a funny turn. He talked about how awkward it was to talk to the shop worker. At first, it didn’t seem to bother the worker, but later, she seemed to understand how strange it was to frame such an item. “He kind of didn’t even blink the first time,” said Hoult. “Then, when I went back to pick it up, I think he’d clocked like how weird it was that I was framing potentially this vampire penis, and he was like, ‘Is this some kind of collector’s piece?'” “Hmm, you could say that,” Hoult said politely.
As part of Eggers’ retelling of the classic horror story, the prosthetic helped Skarsgård become Count Orlok. Hoult plays Thomas Hutter, an estate agent who gets involved with the supernatural after helping Count Orlok with a property deal. The film, which comes out on December 24, also stars Lily-Rose Depp, Willem Dafoe, Emma Corrin, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson.
The dedication of Skarsgård to his role went beyond changes in his appearance. He worked with an opera coach to drop an entire octave in his voice. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Skarsgård said, “The character is a bit paradoxical because he’s very strong and demanding, but there’s also something frail about him because he’s dead.” It was important to him that the voice showed strength and weakness.
The famous silent horror film from 1922, an unofficial version of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” is now being adapted for the screen for the first time. Following his role in “Nosferatu,” Hoult will play Lex Luthor in James Gunn’s upcoming “Superman” film.
