Superman star Nicholas Hoult reveals new 'love' after secret wedding
Nicholas Hoult is taking on the iconic role first made famous by Gene Hackman in an all new cast for the much anticipated DC Comics' movie Superman, released in UK cinemas in July
It has been almost 50 years since Christopher Reeve took on the iconic role of Superman and made the world believe a man can fly.
But next month, a new generation will embark on the Man of Steel's latest adventures, when director James Gunn's reboot of the superhero saga hits cinemas, as part of a new era from the DC Comics universe.
Rising star David Corenswet is donning the famous red cape for the eagerly awaited fantasy movie, which follows Superman's journey to reconcile his alien Krypton heritage with his adoptive human family on Earth.
Cast as Superman's arch enemy Lex Luthor - a role made famous by the late Gene Hackman in the original 1978 movie - for British actor Nicholas Hoult, this is the chance to join Hollywood's elite.
Nicholas, 35, has starred in hit movies Mad Max: Fury Road, X Men: Apocalypse, Tolkien and last year's Oscar nominated gothic vampire hit Nosferatu.
But, after being hooked on the Superman origins TV series Smallville growing up, he feels he was destined to play Lex Luthor.
He says: "Back in 2001 when Smallville came out I was 11 or 12.
'Since then I have seen the Superman movies."
James Gunn's new movie takes inspiration from the 12 issue All-Star Superman fantasy comic books.
And Nicholas could not wait to replicate the bald headed Luthor from the comics, saying: "At one time I was thinking of letting my two boys shave it for me.
"I have shaved my head before for Mad Max: Fury Road. That was in-fact the last time I shaved it."
Nicholas also grabbed the chance to "buff up" after noticing that Luthor was as muscular as Superman in the DC comics.
He says: "There's that bit in All-Star Superman where he (Superman) talks about his muscles being real and hard work and all that. I kind of took that as a little bit of fuel for the fire.
"I do try and exercise most days. I boxed for quite a few years.'
An actor since he was three, when he appeared as Bobby in the 1996 movie Intimate Relations, starring Dame Julie Walters and Rupert Graves, a few years later Nicholas was spotted by the famous London-based Sylvia Young Theatre Agency.
His sister Rosanna and brother James were also interested in acting and he would tag along if they went to classes.
"One time, my older sister went to meet someone from Sylvia Young and they were like, 'Well, we will represent all your kids'. So that was kind of it,' he says.
And, in 2002, aged 11, his life changed forever when he got his movie breakthrough, starring alongside Hugh Grant in the hit film About A Boy.
At first, Nicholas was reluctant to take the part, fearing his schooling would suffer. But his role as lonely schoolboy Marcus thrilled critics and helped make the movie almost £100 million at the box office.
"Doing About A Boy when I was 11, that was a big step up for me,' he says, admitting he did not expect his success to continue - especially as everyone around him warned how often child actors became troubled.
'I felt as if I would like to continue doing it, but I also had a little bit of hesitancy, because it was like 'I don't know if this will work', he says.
But About A Boy was lauded by critics and, just five years later, Nicholas was cast as the lead in the hit teenage drama Skins.
The ground-breaking E4 series, which followed a group of sixth formers in Bristol, was perhaps the first of its kind to tackle issues such as mental illness, depression, eating disorders and sexuality.
And it gave Nicholas his first glimpse into the good and bad aspects of celebrity.
'I remember sitting inside a car outside Marylebone station in London. At one point, people just stood outside the car watching me,' he says.
"I remember just feeling that it was scary and I was like, 'I don't know about this'".
He feared that he would spend his life being watched.
Today, Nicholas is certainly one of Britain's most watched stars.
Since Skins, he has appeared alongside Colin Firth in fashion designer Tom Ford's 2009 movie A Single Man, as well as appearing in the X Men film series Deadpool 2 and in the Golden Globe nominated TV comedy drama series The Great.
Recently, he appeared in a music video for The Rolling Stones and he's provided voiceovers for children's movies such as Watership Down and The Garfield Movie.
Nicholas says his love of acting is inherited from his distant aunt, Dame Anna Neagle, who was voted the most popular actress in Britain back in 1949.
He says: "She was a great, great aunt somehow removed. We never met. I'm not entirely fully sure how we're connected, but that is what I've been told. I don't know if it's (acting) in my blood.
"Acting wasn't something that I woke up one morning and did on my own accord. I was doing it and I enjoyed it and carried on."
Outside work, Nicholas shares his life with his two sons and Californian model wife Bryan Holly.
Last November, he revealed to the world that they had secretly married, having dated since 2016.
He also has a new love - for racing Ferraris.
He says: "The fastest I drove was at the Circuit of the Americas in Texas. I think we hit about 170mph on the back straight there.
"Weirdly, I was trying not to glance down because traveling at that speed you don't really want to glance down too long, because you might miss something.
"Going in the straight line fast isn't the worrying bit. It's going around the corners fast, which is more scary, because that's when things can go wrong."
Nicholas, who has now graduated from Ferrari's Corso Pilota driving school, says his hobby means he has to reassure film studio bosses that he is not putting himself at risk.
And he has received legal contracts from worried movie execs.
He says: 'Sometimes I sign them, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'm like, 'Well, what's the risk here?''
Another thrill Nicholas enjoys is ice baths.
He says: "I do love my cold plunge pool. I've got up to about two and a half minutes now. It is all about breathing. If you put your hands in it is a game changer.
"I try to do it most days. The first minute is the toughest because that's when your body is like shocked. But once you go past the minute, you're kind of almost numb to it.
"I see the benefits as it releases adrenaline. Also, mentally, I feel this kind of sharpness and clarity and all that sort of thing.
"There was one day when I got in and I glanced at the clock, sat there a bit longer then glanced again. Then I realised the hand on the clock had jammed. I had no idea how long I'd been in there!"
Once his Superman journey is over, Nicholas' next planned movie, in 2026, How To Rob A Bank, will reunite him with his Mad Max co-star Zoe Kravitz - daughter of rock star Lenny.
Delighted with his career progress, Nicholas - whose heroes include Gary Oldman, Christian Bale, Clint Eastwood and Anthony Hopkins - feels he is finally improving as an actor.
'The 30s for an actor are hopefully when the roles get really good and interesting and whatever,' he says.
"If I could go back 10 years and look now to this, I'd be thrilled."
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The Herald Scotland
5 hours ago
- The Herald Scotland
Surprisingly funky Scots band introduced whole new audience to Gaelic
Neigh hooves nor nothing. Capercaillie started off right traditional and, while that remained in their backbone, and indeed their soul, they went on to incorporate funk, jazz and pop into a fusion that brought chart success and introduced a new audience to Gaelic. They've sold more than a million albums worldwide and performed in 30-odd countries. They produced the first Gaelic-language single to reach the top 40. Credited with helping the revival of Celtic music, they followed a trail blazed by the Chieftains and the splendidly named Silly Wizard. Billboard magazine described them as 'the most exciting and vibrant band in the field of Celtic music'. That Celtic music has been described as getting the 'Capercaillie Treatment', with modern electric guitars, synthesisers, drums, loops and samples added to traditional Gaelic songs or featuring in the band's own compositions. These even incorporate swing without losing their Celtic soul. Traditional instruments include fiddle, accordion and uilleann pipes. The deal is sealed with Karen Matheson's voice, variously described as 'transcendent', 'breathtaking', and 'ethereal'. Widely regarded as the finest Gaelic singer in the world, the late Sir Sean Connery once said she had 'a throat that is surely touched by God'. TALENTED FOLK THE band, initially without Matheson and indeed a name, was formed in Taynuilt, Argyll, in 1983 by school friends Donald Shaw on accordion and Marc Duff on bodhran and whistles. Read more Rab Shaw was a teenage prodigy, steeped in traditional folk, but winning the All-Britain Accordion Championship with a Paganini classical piece. Many of the band's Gaelic songs – they also sing in English – were sourced from Matheson's family repertoire, as well as old cassette field recordings, and the School of Scottish Studies archive. Shaw and Duff joined forces with like-minded musicians from Oban, including fiddler and vocalist Joanie MacLachlan, guitar and bouzouki player Shaun Craig, and bass and fiddle player Martin MacLeod. They performed at ceilidhs and were first spotted at the 1983 Mull Music Festival by legendary radio presenter Iain MacDonald, who immediately booked them for his next show, giving the hitherto informal outfit a week to come up with a name. They chose Capercaillie in part to symbolise fighting against extinction, as with Gaelic. After building a reputation with local performances, the band added the aforementioned Matheson, who'd learned songs on her Hebridean grandmother's knee and had performed in local ceilidhs as a child before winning the silver pendant for best singer at the MOD. Capercaillie's first album, Cascade, was recorded over three days in 1984 at Edinburgh's Palladium studios. This and their second, Crosswinds, featured few modern instruments but this was soon to change. After a successful US tour in 1988, David Rome of Survival Records invited the band to London, recording several songs. This led to a licensing deal with major label industry voices thought Rome 'completely crazy', he has recalled, 'because it was just very, very left-field. You know: 'This band doesn't even sing in English'" However, Capercaillie's major-label debut, 1991's Delirium, was a watershed release introducing – on Rome's suggestion – drums to their sound. The album included Coisich a Rùin (Come on, My Love), a funkellated, 400-year-old waulking song which became the UK's first Gaelic top 40 hit. CALL OF DESTINY THE band learned about this heady chart success while standing in and around the phone box of a Little Chef roadside diner near Stirling. 'Everyone was kind of jumping around this little phone box,' recalled Rome. 'That is something I'll never forget'. Much of Delirium's songlist still figures in the repertoire of live performances. Other albums over the years have included 1997's Beautiful Wasteland, with the single of that name a lament about longing for home. It was recorded in the Andalusian mountains of Spain. 'Spain is a big territory for us,' Shaw told The Herald in 1999. 'In Spain they have a lot of respect for artists involved in Celtic languages. Areas of the north of Spain and the Basque country have a lot of affinity with what the band is doing … They look to what we're doing as a really strong parallel in the renaissance of folk music.' A year before Beautiful Wasteland, Matheson released her first solo album, The Dreaming Sea, featuring songs by husband and band co-partner described the record as 'more melancholic' than Capercaillie's 'more vibey' output. Asked in an interview with The Herald's David Belcher in 1996 if she was melancholic, she replied: 'I am, yeah, ooh yes. I find going on stage very difficult, nerve-wracking. I've learnt to cope with it over the years … but then as a child, from the age of four onwards, I sang unaccompanied at Mods and ceilidhs, and my first memories are of being terrified and standing with tears running down my face.' Karen Matheson (Image: Agency) People assumed she'd been forced to do it. But: 'It wasn't that at all. In fact, my father, who was a terrible introvert, became an accordionist in the same way, performing music because music was the community, and everybody sang or played something.' KNOW THE SCORE Last year's album ReLoved marked the band's 40th anniversary and was their first studio release since 2013's At the Heart of It All. It contains new arrangements recorded with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, new territory for them apart from a brief encounter with the Irish Film Orchestra on their Gaelic lament Ailean Duinn, which featured on Carter Burwell's score for the film Rob Roy. Matheson, who was ordered into the British Empire (OBE) in 2006, told The Herald that year: 'As Celts, we shouldn't be precious about music either. It shouldn't be kept in a glass case. With each Capercaillie LP, we get braver and take more chances, more risks.' Yep, that's the key. Any performance, certainly at first, requires courage. As does messing with traditional music (one reviewer attributed their use of a synthesiser to the Devil). But risk has its rewards and these, say the band on their website, have 'taken us from the Brazilian rainforest to the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, not to mention into the pop charts. [But] it is the ancient Gaelic culture that still inspires us most.'
Scottish Sun
14 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
I made money & partied every day until terrible decision during Covid made me change everything, reveals Rita Ora
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SHE broke strict lockdown rules to host her boozy 30th bash, but four years on Rita Ora says her birthdays are a lonely affair. The singer reveals that the milestone birthday in November 2020 sparked a major U-turn that saw her overhaul her health and focus on work. And it seems to have paid off. 6 Rita Ora says she has calmed down since she hosted a controversial party to celebrate her birthday Credit: The Mega Agency 6 Rita's new approach has led to her overhauling her lifestyle for the sake of her happiness and her health Credit: Instagram 6 Rita has been married to Hollywood director Taika Waititi for the past three years Credit: Getty She has just released song Heat, filmed movie Voltron with Superman actor Henry Cavill and this week posed in a bikini from her successful Primark collection. Rita said: 'My work ethic, I'm proud of it. I think it's higher than other people's in a lot of different ways. 'I always want to break boundaries and inspire people, that's always been my goal. 'And I do sacrifice a lot of things to do that, like I don't see my family as much. "I have lonely birthdays. I miss Christmases. It's a lot of sacrifices to do this. 'I just came off this three-and-a- half-month shoot in Australia for a huge film called Voltron, which is a big-budget movie. 'It's not easy doing these things and then also making a record on the weekends, which is the only days I have off. 'If you're willing to do the work, nothing is impossible. I really do believe people can do it all.' Her new attitude to life is a far cry from in her twenties when the Hot Right Now singer admits she was dazzled by the fame and fortune she had created for herself. 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'I regret not being a bit more considerate, I would say, with myself, my body, my mental health, but also others. !I was always respectful and appreciative of others, but I was like, 'This is what we are doing and that's that'. 'I never really understood, I guess, how much responsibility I had for other people, like my fans, how much I inspire people or, I guess, the pressures we have to keep people on the right path. 'I think a lot of people were looking up at me, looking for me to give them a lot of answers, and I didn't mentally digest that. 'I was just living, going and going and not stopping. 'But it's hard for me too. I think for anyone in my position to wake up one day and you're like, 'Oh, wow, I have all these people that are depending on me to really give them inspiration'. I'm also human. 'But now I feel like it's something that I take pride in.' I don't want to stop feeling good. That's the one thing I care about. Rita Ora The backlash over her bash, after which her father give her a ticking-off - was the catalyst for change. On the Reign With Josh Smith podcast, Rita explained she felt 'old' and decided to get her 'life in check'. She said: 'When I turned 30 a lot changed. My body was just not reacting the same and I was not eating healthily. "I was getting sick all the time. I couldn't do more than two, three shows in a row - and usually I could do a whole week of shows if I needed to. 'I was like, 'OK, I want to just try to simply eat a little healthier'. So I would do cauliflower rice instead of rice. I would change things a little bit. Rita's routine 'I don't want to become a health guru or anything, but during that time I was really seeing my body reacting differently. 'And then I was like, 'Oh, let me lift some weights'. And now I'm really obsessed with my weekly routine.' That routine involves 'exercise, ginger shots and supplements' and being 'mentally present'. Rita says her mum Vera, a psychiatrist, helped too. The singer explained: 'She never forced therapy on us, but there was always that essence of maybe you should speak to somebody. 'And I did. Now I've just got really cool, great tools and I just feel more confident in my choices. I do have the best relationship with myself than ever before, I really do. 'It's also made other relationships stand out that were not healthy. "And those people now are angry, but that is their problem and not mine. 'I find that when you have that relationship with yourself, everything changes, you know? 'You find things come to you that you're like, 'Whoa, how have I blocked that out?'. But it's taken me a while, and I'm still working on it. "I don't want to stop feeling good. That's the one thing I care about.' 6 Rita says she is confident in all the life decisions she has made in recent years Credit: Alamy Happily married Rita, who married Hollywood filmmaker Taika Waititi, 49, in 2022, has also slowed down — after a fortune teller, who only works with high- profile clients, suggested she do this. She told the podcast: 'She said to me, 'Your life is like a pile of sand in your palm and it can go through your fingers at any moment'. 'It's about how you protect your one pile of life in the palm of your hand and make sure you move slowly and steadily. 'That always stuck with me. I used to rush to things and be like, 'I want it now'. 'I'm trying to move a bit more steadily and not react so much because once you react impulsively, it's usually something you'll end up regretting, right? 'I try my best to just take a second before I respond to things. And that's helped me a lot.' 6 Rita is excited about making a pop music return for latest single Heat, pictured with Will Smith Credit: Splash After a few years away from the charts, Rita's new summer hit Heat makes a return to unadulterated pop after her last, very personal, album You & I charted her romance and marriage to Taika. She said: 'My last record was amazing, in my opinion, because it had depth and a storyline, and it was about love. "I got married and I really was inspired by my relationship, and it just was where I was at in my life. "And now I'm at a point where I love my partner, love my relationship.' Laughing, Rita added: 'But f*** that. I just want to be in the moment and have fun and think about what I want to feel like when I'm in Ibiza with my friends, drinking a Chardonnay with ice, having the sun beaming down, SPF making me sweat. 'How do I want to feel when I'm drunk in the day? 'And that was how Heat happened. I had the best time making this record. 'I love the idea of the fact I'm speaking, it's like sex on sight, it's intentional, it's direct, it's kind of cheeky, it's rude, it's iconic.' Kind of like Rita herself.
Scottish Sun
19 hours ago
- Scottish Sun
Novak Djokovic gatecrashes Aryna Sabalenka's pre-Wimbledon press conference and awkwardly criticises her
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) NOVAK DJOKOVIC gatecrashed Aryna Sabalenka's pre-Wimbledon press conference before offering some constructive criticism. Women's world No.1 Sabalenka was coming towards the end of her chat when Djokovic surprisingly entered before it was his turn to face reporters in SW19. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 5 Novak Djokovic hilariously gatecrashed Aryna Sabalenka's pre-Wimbledon press conference on Saturday 5 Sabalenka, who was in good spirits, asked Djokovic for his opinion on her abilities Djokovic, a seven-time Wimbledon champion, was told Sabalenka was in the middle of her final response but cheekily informed the press officer that he was going to interrupt his friend's conference. The 24-time Grand Slam winner could be heard whispering: "Come on, let's go, please" with a grin as he shocked Sabalenka with his entrance on Saturday. Sabalenka smiled and said goodbye to the media, but then assumed the role of moderator and asked Djokovic about their recent hit at the All-England club. The pair were filmed during a practice session earlier in the week as Sabalenka looks to win her first Wimbledon and Djokovic goes for an a record-equalling eighth title, alongside Roger Federer. READ MORE TENNIS NEWS SET FOR LOVE Boulter hopes £2m love nest she shares with Oz ace will boost Wimbledon hopes Sabalenka, 27, said: "You see guys, come in here then" before asking Djokovic to sit down in her seat, which he refused. The US Open champion then asked Djokovic: "First of all, let me ask a question. What do you think about hitting with me? How do you see my level? Am I good?' Djokovic jokingly responded: "I think you have the potential. You're, like, a really talented player. You have nice strokes, good technique. "Can I be honest? You're lacking intensity on the court. You don't have enough intensity. CASINO SPECIAL - BEST CASINO BONUSES FROM £10 DEPOSITS "It's too flat. You've got to lighten up a little bit, put some power in it." Sabalenka, holding in laughter, then said: "Really! That's what you are going to say right now? "Before this guy was my favourite player, but not anymore obviously!" British world No719 qualifies for Wimbledon but is BANNED from claiming £66,000 prize money There could be some truth in Djokovic's words of wisdom, as Sabalenka lost the French Open final to Coco Gauff last month. The Belarusian said it "hurt to show such terrible tennis" in what she described as "the worst final I ever played" after losing in three sets to Gauff. In her runners-up speech, the three-time Slam winner added: "'I think she won the match not because she played incredible, just because I made all of those mistakes." Meanwhile, Djokovic is seeking a record-extending 25 Grand Slam titles, but at 38 years old knows his time is running out amid the rise of Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner. 5 Sabalenka is trying to right her French Open wrongs over the next few weeks Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 Djokovic warmed up with Sabalenka and Carlo Alcaraz Credit: Shutterstock Editorial The legendary Serbian said: "'It's great to be back. I love Wimbledon. I've always loved it. I think in the last six editions, I had six finals. "I've been playing very well here, maybe it's been the most consistent Grand Slam for me in the last 10 years. "When I come here, I feel extra inspired to deliver the best tennis. Whether it could be my 'last dance', I'm not sure. My wish is to play for several more years. "I would love to be healthy physically and also mentally motivated to keep on playing at the highest level. That's the goal, but you never know at this stage." 5
