Nicholas Hoult to see more of PH after Comicon

MANILA – What would you do if you see a mutant scientist riding a calesa going around the Rizal Park on an ordinary day?

That’s what Beast of the “X-Men” franchise actually did upon setting foot for the first time in Manila last week.

Hollywood actor Nicholas Hoult, who portrays Beast in the “X-Men” movies, is currently in the country as one of the headliners of the recently concluded AsiaPOP Comicon 2016, the biggest annual comic and pop culture convention in the Philippines and in the region.

“I didn’t know what to expect. I didn’t know how vast Manila was. I didn’t realize flying in, you get a sense of how big the city is. That was impressive," he said, when he met with the local press last Saturday.

“I didn’t know how humid it’s going to be. I didn’t know how extreme your traffic was. Those were the things that I was warned of and I got to experience,” he added.

Prior to the three-day convention, Hoult said he and his good friend, Joe Dempsie of “Game of Thrones,” got to go around the streets of Manila to see some of the old churches.

He also got to try some Filipino food but admitted he has yet to get his first taste of balut, a fertilized duck egg that is considered a delicacy in the Philippines.

“I’ve been told to try balut. I haven’t yet. I don’t know [if I’m ready to try it]. I saw pictures of it and it looks a little bit disgusting. If I build up the courage, then I’ll try that,” he said.

Hoult is also amazed that basketball is huge in the Philippines, saying he loves the sport as he grew up playing hoops.

“I went to buy one of the jerseys yesterday of a Filipino basketball team. I’m a big basketball fan. I didn’t realize that it’s a big sport here. I’m really glad that I got a jersey,” he said.

After Comicon, Hoult said he will be staying in the Philippines for a longer period of time “to go around the couple of the islands as well.”

HOULT ON PAST, UPCOMING ROLES

Meanwhile, Hoult also talked about his roles in his past and upcoming movies and how he prepares for each of them.

“Each role stems a different challenge. There’s no set method that I’ve developed. It varies each time but essentially, it’s about a lot of preparation and research and learning as much as you can before coming on set, and then being adaptable once you get there depending on how the director wants to work with the other actors around you. I just try to take a little bit away from each job and use that in the next job,” he said.

Hoult’s passion for acting has landed him roles in films like “A Single Man,” “Equals,” “ack the Giant Slayer,” “Warm Bodies” and “Mad Max: Fury Road” among others.

But Beast in “X-Men: First Class” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” is arguably his most popular character to date.

Did he read a lot of comics to prepare it?

“[Beast] has quite a distinct way of speaking. He’s a very eloquent and intelligent man and obviously very smart in the sciences as well. It’s about reading the comics and trying to gain what you can from that. In terms of movement as well and his relationships to the other characters, that’s something that I really enjoyed developing through the films,” Hoult said, adding that he would like to see the darker side of Beast.

Meanwhile, Hoult shared that he also loved portraying acclaimed American writer J.D. Salinger in the upcoming movie "Rebel in the Rye," which is slated to be released in 2017.

Hoult said he had to rely on Salinger’s biographies and novels because “there are no video or audio of him that exists that we could find.”

“I really loved playing J.D. Salinger because I love reading his work and learning about his life. I didn’t know much about his personal life before that so learning about that was fantastic,” he said.

ALSO A ‘FANBOY’

Hoult was present in all three days of the AsiaPOP Comicon and he definitely had a lot of his fans swooning over his charms and good looks.

But one thing he shared to the local press is that he himself is also a “fanboy.”

“I’ve been watching a lot of ‘Stranger Things.’ I haven’t met [Millie Bobby Brown] yet but she gave such a wonderful performance there. I’m kind of fanboying over meeting her. I’m looking forward to that,” he said.

Hoult even joked that he will be lining up with the fans just to meet Brown, who plays Eleven in the original Netflix series. “She’s fantastic on that show and I love watching her. That’s what I’ve been geeking out recently,” he said.

Upon arriving in the Philippines, Hoult said he could not believe that he is in the country with Brown at the same time, and gracing the same event.

Aside from Hoult, Brown and Dempsie, the AsiaPOP Comicon also brought in Claire Holt from the CW series “The Vampire Diaries” and “The Originals.”

The AsiaPOP Comicon ran from August 26 to 28 at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.