Nosferatu star Nicholas Hoult says Bill Skarsgård’s intimidating "physical presence" as Count Orlok terrified him on set of the vampire horror

Nicholas Hoult in Nosferatu
(Image credit: Universal Pictures)

From what we have seen so far from the Nosferatu trailer and little sneak peeks, Bill Skarsgård looks completely unrecognizable as Count Orlok in Robert Eggers’s upcoming horror movie remake. But co-star Nicholas Hoult says the IT star was much more frightening on set.

"Bill's very intimidating. He's a physical presence. You know? He's a tall, big guy," said Hoult to GamesRadar+ at the UK premiere of Nosferatu. "Then he had the big costume on top of that, and his hat, and the makeup, and the physicality he brought to the character, but also the intensity. It's a wonderful performance. I'm excited for people to see it."

Skarsgård is no stranger to bringing terrifying monsters to life and working under a lot of prosthetics in the process. In the 2017 movie IT, the star plays Stephen King’s child-eating clown Pennywise. Now, Skarsgård is using his shapeshifting abilities to bring Orlok to a modern audience in Nosferatu, which follows the ancient Transylvanian corpse’s pursuit of a young woman named Ellen Hutter (Lily-Rose Depp), in Victorian-era Germany.

Eggers’s Nosferatu is based on the 1922 movie of the same name, which is in turn adapted from Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel Dracula, making Skarsgård the latest to play the Count. The head vamp has been adapted and brought to life by many stars over the years, including Christopher Lee and Max Schreck. But Eggers told Total Film Online and GamesRadar+ that despite his movie being a remake, his villain is much different from anything we have seen before.

Although director Eggers and his team are keeping their cards close to their chest when it comes to Orlok’s appearance, those who have seen the movie have been raving over Skarsgård’s simply chilling performance. In our Nosferatu review, we outline how "genuinely scary" the vamp is. "Reports of Skarsgård being unrecognizable in the role are entirely founded. He is monstrous in so many senses of the word."

As well as Skarsgård, Depp, and Hoult, who plays Ellen’s husband Thomas Hutter, the cast of Nosferatu also includes Willem Dafoe as Professor Albin Eberhart Von Franz, Emma Corrin as Anna Harding, Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Friedrich Harding, and Simon McBurney as Herr Knock.

Nosferatu hits US theaters on December 25 and UK cinemas on January 1, 2025. For more, see our list of the best vampire movies, or keep up with other upcoming horror movies.

Editorial Associate, GamesRadar+

I am an Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering TV and film for SFX and Total Film online. I have a Bachelors Degree in Media Production and Journalism and a Masters in Fashion Journalism from UAL. In the past I have written for local UK and US newspaper outlets such as the Portland Tribune and York Mix and worked in communications, before focusing on film and entertainment writing. I am a HUGE horror fan and in 2022 I created my very own single issue feminist horror magazine.  

Read more
Nosferatu
Bill Skarsgard thought he would play a different role in Nosferatu as Mads Mikkelsen was attached to play Count Orlok
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok
Someone has edited all three Nosferatu versions together shot-for-shot, and horror fans are fascinated by one particular parallel
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok
Nosferatu fans can now cuddle up next to Bill Skarsgard’s Count Orlok thanks to this 6 ft tall cardboard cutout
Robert Eggers and Martin Scorsese side-by-side
Martin Scorsese reveals that he's a huge fan of Nosferatu and director Robert Eggers too: "Anything this guy does, amazing"
Bill Skarsgård at the Nosferatu London premiere
Nosferatu star Bill Skarsgård is interested in playing the Joker: "I think that would be pretty sick"
Bill Skarsgard as Count Orlok
Nosferatu director Robert Eggers will never make a movie set in modern times: "The idea of photographing a cell phone is just death"
Latest in Horror Movies
Dan Stevens in supernatural horror The Ritual
The Godfather and Godzilla x Kong stars' new exorcism horror The Ritual gets a creepy first trailer
Saw X
Billy the Puppet gives Saw fans some hope on the future of the horror franchise by updating his LinkedIn profile to "employed"
Final Destination Bloodlines
Final Destination: Bloodlines drops new trailer with a first look at the return of the late Tony Todd to the horror franchise
Jack Reynor in Midsommar
Midsommar star cast in new Mummy movie, but still no word from the original stars
Kurt Russell in The Thing holding a stick of dynamite.
43 years later, John Carpenter has hinted at who turns into The Thing in the horror movie and one eagle-eyed fan has worked it out
Megan Fox and Amanda Seyfried in Jennifer's Body
Star of cult hit Jennifer's Body says marketing "ruined" the horror movie's chances, but they may get another shot with a sequel 16 years later
Latest in News
The T6 Power Armor
I'm about to spend over $400 on this iconic T60 Power Armor figurine because "Communism is the very definition of failure"
A large, muscly bloke eating noodles at a bar while two people point pistols at him from behind in Cyberpunk 2077.
The Witcher 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 developer enters into partnership with Pokemon Go owner to create a new game "set within one of CD Projekt's IPs"
Owen Cooper in Adolescence
Sorry, Adolescence season 2 isn't happening, despite its 99% Rotten Tomatoes score and record-breaking Netflix audience
Daredevil: Born Again episode 6
Daredevil: Born Again's long-awaited moment has been called "pure cinema" featuring one of the "best lines in comic book movie history"
Daredevil looking mean and moody.
Daredevil: Born Again episode 5 just nodded to Thanos and the Avengers movies in the most obscure way
The Fantastic Four: First Steps cast assemble
Fantastic Four star says the Marvel movie "will go down in history" for rejuvenating the MCU, "in the same way the Guardians of the Galaxy and Black Panther hit"