Nicholas Hoult on Renfield and His History with Dracula Movies: ‘I’ve Gone Back to Watch and Study Them’

During a set visit, Nicholas Hoult spoke about playing the title character in Renfield with Screen Rant. In this movie, directed by Chris McKay and based on an idea from Robert Kirkman, the eponymous vampire manservant has been working for Dracula (Nicholas Cage) for around 100 years and has decided that enough is enough.

“So, the Renfield that we’ve seen in–you know, from Bram Stoker’s novels and from previous films, he’s kind of been living in his boss’s shadow in this very toxic relationship in a Devil Wears Prada way for a while, and then through the circumstance of this film kind of starts to realize that that’s not what he wanted in life, and he kind of got tricked and trapped into this relationship. And he starts to find his voice and capability to ultimately become a hero himself.”

Growing up, Hoult didn’t watch too many Dracula movies. According to the actor, he’s seen Bram Stoker’s Dracula, where Gary Oldman played the Count, and Hotel Transylvania, where it was Adam Sandler as the vampire. The latter film was something he’d been watching a lot of lately because of his son. Still, they were never a big part of Hoult’s life growing up.

“I’ve gone back to watch and study them, and particularly Dwight Frye’s performance, I suppose. Trying to steal some stuff from him when possible, particularly that laugh he [brought]. I do my best. I’ve gone back and read the book again as well, just to see if there was anything in there. But as I said, we’re kind of joining Renfield at a very different point in his journey at the start of this film.”

Other Renfield Things, Like Bug Eating

Hoult did try to make the role his own, especially in light of how his version of Renfield is much less manic and more worn down than Frye’s iconic portrayal. However, one thing that he tried to squeeze in from his predecessor was the laugh Frye uses as the character, though he’s unsure whether or not any scenes with it made it into the final cut.

“But the laugh, I’d just go back and listen to audio of him. I have a couple of times just taken bits of dialect from the book–or from that iteration of the film and tried to kind of weave that into this dialogue. But again, it’s very different, because Ryan Ridley is writing in a more modern tone and voice. So, it’s a modern monster take.”

One of the most iconic attributes of Renfield was the character’s bug diet, which Hoult had to do. It was mostly crickets, which “were kind of nice, because they get these kind of dried ones that are flavored somewhat.” There were also some non-bug bugs—caramel cockroaches, gummy worms, and a potato bug, but Hoult didn’t like that last one.

“And the concept behind the bug eating, and this obviously tracks back to the idea of that’s what gives–him consuming life forces was what gives him power. So, that’s kind of what gives him the edge when he’s caught in moments of peril. While having to protect Dracula, he eats a bug and gets that extra little bit of juice to be fighting.”

Renfield will open in theaters on April 14, 2023.