Nicholas Galitzine on his sexuality and playing queer characters

Nicholas Galitzine speaks publicly about his sexuality and portrays queer characters on screen for the first time.

The 29-year-old, who recently thrilled fans with his role as a boy band singer in the film “The Idea of ​​You,” is currently one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. In April, Galitzine starred in the historical drama “Mary & George,” in which his character freely explores his sexuality. In 2023, Galitzine portrayed Prince Heinrich in the gay romantic comedy “Red, White & Royal Blue”.

Galitzine opened up about his past characters’ sexuality in a recent interview with British GQ. The actor said he had to deal with fans who had difficulty separating him from his characters.

“I’m Nick and I’m not my character,” he said.

He continued: “I identify as a straight man, but I have been a part of some incredible queer stories. At times I felt a sense of insecurity about taking someone’s place, and perhaps a guilty conscience. At the same time, I see more than just their sexuality in these characters.”

In the interview, he told GQ that he finds it interesting that some men feel “trapped” in their masculinity because he used to feel the same way.

“I was a very scared young man,” he recalled. “And I think a lot of men are really scared. I think they are afraid of their own mortality. I think they’re afraid of being discovered. There’s this idea in masculinity that you have to be in control and aware of everything.”

After landing roles in other big films like Bottoms and Purple Hearts in recent years, Galitzine seems to have become an overnight success. His interest in acting was equally unexpected.

He told the British magazine that a group of friends asked him to act in their play one summer and he immediately fell in love.

“I did this production and I just liked it. It surpassed any feeling I had as an athlete. It was community; it was the adrenaline rush. It felt like pure life,” he shared.

But due to his recent success, he has had to deal with harsh scrutiny and sexualization. He revealed that he found it difficult to be compared to actor Taylor Zakhar Perez, his Red, White & Royal Blue co-star and lover.

He praised Perez and called him an “Adonis” figure. “It was difficult in some ways to be compared so closely to him,” Galitzine said.

The actor then mentioned some of his insecurities, sharing that at one point he was “disgusted in a way” by his appearance.

Although he has played several characters admired for their charisma and good looks, that doesn’t seem to affect him.

“I think the most important thing for me is that I’m taken seriously as an artist,” he said. “I’m not going to ask you to knock me over the head here, but it’s been difficult being part of a conversation that feels a lot like I was a piece of beef at a meat market.”

He said he felt this way during auditions and when he saw audience reactions to his projects.

“I think being my defining characteristic is something I’m constantly afraid of,” he shared.

Coincidentally, that’s a trait he shares with his “Idea of ​​You” character, Hayes Campbell. In the film, which was released on Amazon Prime on May 2, Hayes falls in love with 40-year-old art gallery owner Soléne Marchand, played by Anne Hathaway. Fans stare at Hayes throughout the film, and in a vulnerable scene he worries that people will never get to know the real him.