The 2023 horror-comedy Renfield, featuring Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage acquired overall great reviews despite failing miserably at the box office. But what stands out about the film isn’t the storyline or the cinematography. Instead, the behind-the-scenes titbits are what entertained fans.
Sharing inside information from backstage, Nicolas Cage revealed one scene from Renfield where Nicholas Hoult had to devour salt-and-vinegar-flavored bugs. Revealing the daredevil-like stunt performed by Hoult, Cage shared his mad respect for the actor in the $26M movie.
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Nicholas Hoult Discussed his 2023 Movie Renfield
Narrating the story of the character Renfield from the Dracula universe, Chris McKay came up with his 2023 horror-comedy starring Nicholas Hoult and Nicolas Cage. The movie is a modern monster tale of Dracula’s (played by Cage) loyal servant, Renfield played by Hoult, who tries to see if there’s a life outside the shadow of The Prince of Darkness.
Tired of serving the most narcissistic boss, Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield ventures into a journey to figure out how to end his master’s codependency. Well, the plot is quite fascinating, and certainly fans enjoyed the modern take on the classic Dracula story. Therefore speaking about the movie with EW, Hoult stated,
“In this story, it’s kind of 100 years on from when their relationship originated. What becomes of that man after years of servitude, and looking after Dracula, and breaking down himself in order to keep his master happy?”
While Nicholas Hoult’s character is trying to break free from the shackles of his Dracula boss, there are some advantages to serving him.
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Nicolas Cage Revealed How Nicholas Hoult Ate Bugs
Discussing the benefits of working for Dracula, Nicholas Hoult mentioned that his character gains superhuman strength when he eats bugs. Speaking with EW, Hoult and his co-star Nicolas Cage recalled the time from the set when they shot the scene, where Renfield was seen eating salt-and-vinegar-flavored bugs.
Apparently, to everyone’s surprise, the scene was quite authentic, for Nicholas Hoult actually devoured real bugs for his role. During the Around the Table discussion of EW, Nicolas Cage confirmed how his co-star consumed actual insects for the cameras. Sharing his mad respect for Hoult, Cage stated,
“He went hardcore because he ate the potato bug.” Cage shared.
“The potato bugs were not good,” Hoult recalled.
“It’s a very scary-looking insect. It’s quite gross, and when I say gross I mean ‘big’ and also ‘gross’ as it is grotesque. It’s like an oversized ant. It’s quite horrendous.” Cage stated.
“The best thing we ate were the crickets…they were like smoky bacon flavor and salt and vinegar. I love salt and vinegar, so I was happy about eating the crickets.” Hoult mentioned.
Thereafter, the cast and filmmaker proceeded to discuss the benefits of consuming creepy crawlies and ending world starvation.
