As we know, Nicholas Hoult plays classic foe Lex Luthor in the new Superman movie. So it was befitting his villainous role when Hoult seemingly set out to kill us while out on the movie’s promotional trail. Between his sizzling new collaboration with stylist Jason Bolden (other clients include Nicole Kidman and Cynthia Erivo) AND his turn as a platinum blonde that definitely shouldn’t work yet somehow really does, Hoult has been a lethal smoke show this summer. To be clear: I am NOT complaining. But like many of us, Hoult doesn’t view himself quite so glowingly as others. In fact, in a radio interview two years ago, when asked by the host what it was like being “such a beautiful person,” Hoult was very mindful, very demure in his response. He said, “I don’t have the perks of being handsome because I look more inbred.” Well, the interview may be from 2023, but some folks online have only just discovered it for themselves cause there’s been a flurry of reactions to Hoult’s exceedingly modest take on his looks:

Nick has also joined some huge franchises, including Mad Max and X-Men. Most recently, he has garnered huge acclaim for his performance as villain Lex Luthor in the latest Superman movie.

And throughout his career, the star has been no stranger to fans thirsting over him — but a recently resurfaced 2023 interview suggests that he hasn’t let this attention go to his head… In fact, Nick had a straight-up bizarre response to a radio host asking him about his good looks, and how left-field his answer was has led to the actor going pretty viral on X.

In an interview with Hits radio, Nick was asked: “How does it feel, in life, being such a beautiful person?”

The star was clearly taken aback by this question and blushed as he laughed and thanked the interviewer for the compliment.

He then said: “That’s weird. I read something recently, I did a show called The Great, I play the emperor of Russia in that, and I saw a comment of someone on Twitter that said: ‘He looks like just the right amount of inbred to be a royal.’”

“And so I don’t think I’m conventionally very handsome or anything,” Nick went on. “I don’t have the perks of being handsome because I look more inbred.”

Needless to say, people can’t get enough of this response, with one X user sharing a video of the interview alongside the caption: “this is how I take compliments btw.” The tweet has already been seen over a million times, and has racked up thousands of likes, replies, and retweets.

One reply asked: “Nicholas Hoult is one of my very few male celebrity crushes and he thinks he looks inbred?!”

“Wdym Nicholas Hoult doesn’t think he is handsome????????” somebody else wrote.

Another joked: “I’ve been saying he’s hot since he was in skins what more does he need.”

While one more reasoned: “He doesn’t look inbred he’s just English.”

[From BuzzFeed]

“He doesn’t look inbred he’s just English.” Brilliant. Perfection. That’s the t-shirt, or baseball cap, take your pick. Never has an assemblage of a mere seven words had such a dismissive and devastating impact. Bravo to “Ripples” on X (whose tagline is likewise exceptional: “mastered mediocrity”). And because Hoult is “just English,” I’m not at all surprised by his refusal, if not outright inability to take a compliment — for looks, no less! No, I’ve watched enough John Oliver to know that such self-positive behavior isn’t permitted. But I actually agree with Hoult’s assessment that he’s not “conventionally handsome.” Sure, he’s been having a Hot Guy Summer, but he can equally make himself look weird or offbeat. That’s part of what makes him such a good actor! That chameleon quality. So what I love most about this interview is that Hoult A) read the review that described him as “just the right amount of inbred to be a royal,” B) felt comfortable/confident enough to share that review publicly, and C) is smart and creative enough to realize the value in such a comment. That it’s less about Hoult’s looks as an individual, and more about his capacity for character work. Or maybe I’ve got it all wrong and the whole reason he’s gone blonde now is down to the hurt those words caused, who knows!

this is how I take compliments btw pic.twitter.com/KCjpFzbUBj

— ashley (@petercathfilms) August 2, 2025

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Embed from Getty Images

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