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Prior to The Batman casting Robert Pattinson in the titular role of the Dark Knight, reports indicated that The Menu and Renfield star Nicholas Hoult was one of the finalists for the highly-coveted part.
Not only did Hoult eventually lose out on playing the Caped Crusader to Pattison, but according to the 33-year-old actor, he also lost out on roles in Top Gun: Maverick and Mission: Impossible, all within months of each other.
“I screen-tested for ‘Batman’ and didn’t get it,” Hoult said. “Screen-tested for ‘Top Gun,’ didn’t get it. Then I got the call from Tom Cruise: ‘Hey, how about “Mission Impossible?”‘ Ok. Got it. Then I had to drop out because I was already attached to do some more of ‘The Great’,” Hoult revealed during a recent interview with The Guardian.
Despite losing out on that trio of key roles — while Hoult didn’t confirm what Top Gun part he tried out for, odds are it was either Bradley “Rooster” Bradshaw (eventually played by Miles Teller) or Jake “Hangman” Seresin (Glen Powell) — his career has found solid footing all the same, as the former Mad Max: Fury Road star as Beast in the X-Men Franchise, in acclaimed films such as The Favourite and The Menu, and blockbusters such as Renfield.
In the coming years, he’s also set to star in the Nosferatu remake from The Northman director Robert Eggers and voice John Arbuckle in the upcoming animated Garfield film alongside Chris Pratt and Samuel L. Jackson. His newest film Renfield — which also stars Nicolas Cage as Dracula, Ben Schwartz, and Awkwafina — will hit theaters on Friday, April 21.
BroBible’s Post-Credit Podcast actually sat down with Hoult for an interview around the time of the release of The Menu, so make sure to check that out below: