Nicholas Galitzine, interview: “I want to interpret roles that nobody expects from me”

This interview with Nicholas Galitzine is published in number 6 of Vanity Fair on newsstands until February 4, 2025.

Any of his films have seen recently (like the romantic “The Idea of ​​You” with Anne Hathaway), perhaps you would not recognize now Nicholas Galitzine30 years old, in the middle of a physical transformation to become the hero He-Man in his next film “Masters of the Universe”. Although you are preparing to interpret the strongest man in the universe, Galitzine gives off an incredible sweetness: one of the qualities that, together with his roles, crowned him “Prince Charming” of Hollywood (if you can recover “red, white and Blue blood “,” Purple Hearts “or” Cinderella “with her friend Camila Cabello).

A limited title for this English actor, who has a brilliant career in front, with the burden of having to demonstrate a lot in recitative terms, like all those born with such a brazen beauty (the Greek inheritance from the mother is clearly visible). Recently became Global Fragrance Ambassador by Emporio Armani and is the protagonist of the campaign of Stronger with you parfum: “I immediately said yes before they changed my mind.”

What is your relationship with perfumes?
I have no specific memories related to fragrances. But I often be catapulted to other phases of my life only by feeling a family smell. For example, the sea brings me back to the summers as a child in Greece.

The name of the perfume pays homage to the power of being together. Is he a team player?
For work I am very in contact with people, especially after Covid I felt particular need. On the set they always try to put myself in a caravan to rest, but I have a golden retriever energy and I want to be in a group. At the same time, when I do not work, I cut out spaces of solitude.

Well, it’s a good colleague to have on the set.
Perhaps. I am sure that some people find him annoying and irritating, but so far they have not told me.

Did you know the song “Born Slippy” of Underworld, a spot soundtrack, which became famous with the 1996 “Trainspotting” film?
Yes. I feel tied to the film because it is a piece of British cinematography: I saw him as a boy and still resists over time as an iconic film. It is fun when you do these things, because often dancing on a song without knowing if they will be able to get the rights to insert it in the final spot. I was so enthusiastic when they told me they had approved it because for many people it is an iconic song. But I also think that for many others it could be the first time they feel it and can discover it through the fragrance and maybe watch the film for the first time.

How did he approach acting?
Not at school, I was more interested in sports. The summer of the diploma of my friends, and a girl I was interested in, convinced me to make a audition for a theatrical piece. I did not expect to do it and instead worked: if I had not been convinced, I would not be here today to do interviews.

Born in London in 1994, Nicholas Galitzine approaches acting after graduation. Among the next projects, He-Man will be in the film “Masters of the Universe” and will starify alongside Emma Thompson and Hugh Jackman in the comedy “Three Bags Full: A Sheep Detective Movie”. It is the new Global Fragrance Ambassador of Emporio Armani.

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Despite his young age, he celebrates ten years of career. Do you recognize a red thread among the choices made so far?
I think I did some jobs that, in a certain sense, have been similar to each other, but I try to never face the work based only on the similarities. I like to do things that seem new and fresh. And I hope that the next ten years of my career are even more unpredictable than the first ten. I really want to explore different facets of my skills. We will see how it will go.

What do we do not imagine an actor’s career?
One thing I always try to be quite transparent about is that many people think that, from the first day, we have the opportunity to choose all the roles that are passionate about. And without diminishing the work I did, because every experience brought me where I am now and I appreciate it a lot, I would say that for most of my career it was complicated. I always tried to do my best, but often the final result does not depend only on the actors. It is a matter of putting together one project after the other to finally arrive at a point where you can really have a say on working choices.
I think this is one of the most common wrong ideas. Sometimes people look at an actor’s career and ask themselves: “Why did he make that movie?”. But often the choice is between working or not working.
Fortunately, at this point in my career I have accumulated enough credibility and, especially in recent years, I have been able to do jobs that amuse me and passionate about me. This means that the next few years will be really exciting, because now I have much more control over my choices than in the past.

Don’t you ever think of returning to the theater, which for English actors is a very important test?
Sooner or later it will surely happen. Many British actors have started with the theater. And I always say to the young actors who aspire to this career that it is there that they should really get their bones, they really love him. Because I think the theater teach you whether this is really your passion or not.
But honestly, it is also a matter of profession. I deeply love the art of cinematographic acting, I love how thin it can be and how much human nuances can capture in the smaller details. So, in all sincerity, at this moment I am having fun so much that I still don’t feel a strong need to return to the theater. But I’m almost certain that I will do it in the coming years.

What is the moment you are most proud of so far?
I am very self -critical: it is difficult for me to congratulate myself when positive things happen. But I had a really nice moment with my mother, at the first English of the “Mary & George” series. I think my parents have worked so hard for life to give us, to my sister and to me, a good perspective of life. When I decided to become an actor, I think it was really frightening for them, because I had no experience and I had no qualifications to do this. They were quite terrified.
At the first Englishman of “Mary & George” they had created a beautiful set in one of those old houses in central London. And there were actors and people in costume and it was all really beautiful. My mother, who is very emotional, but usually it is not for these things, has started to cry. I think he saw me with Julianne Moore and that for the first time he thought: “I can relax now, I don’t have to worry about my son anymore, he will no longer be an artist dispelled for a lifetime”.
I think moments like these, which I can share with my family, are truly special, especially because none of them work in cinema.

Julianne Moore, Anne Hathaway, Emma Thompson in a next film. He really worked with degrees actresses. What advice did they give you?
A list of incredible talents. Anne and I became friends during the filming of “The Idea of ​​You” and I think we feel mutual admiration. His career, in particular his versatility, is something that I respect a lot.
I told her about that impatience that I think I have as an actor, the desire to do all the different things, and Anne told me to relax a little, to take me my time. Because I always feel this hunger to demonstrate that I can interpret roles that maybe people think they can’t do. But it is patience. I think patience is a very important tool in this work.
Julianne is a great worker. The thing that strikes me most is the respect that people have for her, for those who are as a person and how to work. It really influenced me. Because talent is just a small part of making a movie. It is also about how you behave with others, the example you give. I think these are the things that contribute to a career 20-30-40-50 years, which is what I hope for me.

Today it is here as Global Fragrance Ambassador by Emporio Armani, what values ​​do you want to transmit?
I think my fundamental values ​​are in line with those of Armani. I always want to throw myself 100% in everything I do, have empathy and compassion, enjoy life, find fun in everything, find joy in everything. And I try to keep curiosity and spirit of adventure alive. My values, however, are constantly evolving while I become more mature. Maybe in a year I will give a different answer. Maybe I will be really disillusioned and I will say that everything sucks. For now I am very positive.

Maybe we will meet again and I will ask you the same question then.
Right, it requires me in five years, okay?

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