The Idea Of You‘s Nicholas Galitzine rose to fame with his role as Henry in Red White and Royal Blue, but he has since felt “guilt” over the role.
In the popular film, Galitzine portrays a British Prince who develops a relationship with the son of the U.S. President. While the role shot Galitzine to stardom, he revealed to British GQ that it led to a sense of “uncertainty” in his career.
“I identify as a straight man, but I have been a part of some incredible queer stories,” Galitzine told the publication. “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.”
The actor added, “I am Nick, and I’m not my role,” so, no, he’s not really the lead singer of fictional boy band August Moon. He conitnued, “I think the most important thing to me is that I’m taken seriously as a performer. 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. I think that being my defining feature is something I’m constantly terrified of.”
Even though Galitzine’s character in The Idea Of You was loosely based on The Idea of Harry Styles, the actor says that the reactions have been mostly positive. “The amount of people who have come up to me and said, ‘I had my reservations, but it completely surprised me,’ or ‘It has an immense depth to it, as well as just being a lot of fun.’” The immense depth is certainly there, if you’re into the Coachella scene.
The Idea Of You is now streaming on Prime.