Nicholas Galitzine is definitely the man of the moment right now, but the British star has opened up about the toll his new-found fame has taken on him.
The actor has been on the rise in recent years thanks to his roles in Red, White & Royal Blue, Mary & George, Bottoms and, most recently, The Idea Of You with Anne Hathaway.
His various romantic roles have quickly landed Nicholas heartthrob status, but he’s admitted he’s not always found it easy to be seen as such.
“I think the most important thing to me is that I’m taken seriously as a performer,” he shared in a recent interview with GQ Hype.
“I’m not gonna ask you to cry me a river here, but it’s been difficult being part of a conversation that feels very much like I am a cut of beef at a meat market,” he said of the overly objectifying attitude that can pervade his work and personal life.
“I think that being my defining feature is something I’m constantly terrified of.”
Nicholas is hardly the first male actor to speak up about feeling this way in the industry.
In 2015, Game Of Thrones star Kit Harington told Page Six he found it “demeaning” to be labelled a “hunk”, while Normal People’s breakout star Paul Mescal also revealed he felt “objectified” after the BBC show became a hit.
“It’s to be expected, given the intimacy of my scenes, but it doesn’t make it easier,” he told Elle.
Henry Cavill also spoke out back in 2016 about there being a “double standard” when it comes to men and women being objectified.
“I mean, if a girl shouts something like, ‘Oi, love, fancy a shag?’ to me as I walk past, I do sometimes wonder how she’d feel if a builder said that to her,” he told The Sunday Times Magazine. “Although, of course, I wouldn’t feel physically threatened, as she might.”
Elsewhere in his GQ interview, Nicholas went on to say he finds it especially challenging when people conflate his characters with his real self, particularly in regards to the numerous queer stories he has portrayed.
“I identify as a straight man, but I have been a part of some incredible queer stories,” he shared.
“I felt a sense of uncertainty sometimes about whether I’m taking up someone’s space, and perhaps guilt. At the same time, I see those characters as not solely their sexuality.”