Nosferatu actor Nicholas Hoult has praised his co-star Lily-Rose Depp for her "physical transformation" in Robert Eggers' gothic horror, saying he witnessed her "completely escape her body", while Depp said the physically demanding scenes would "shake up emotions".
Depp plays the leading role of Ellen Hutter in Eggers' expertly realised reimagining of the iconic cinematic vampire. She is haunted and hunted by Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), a terrifying ancient vampire who summons her naïve husband Thomas Hutter (Hoult) to his faraway castle under the pretence of doing business with him.
It is no understatement to say that 25-year-old Depp, who was previously best known for the HBO television show The Idol and the films Voyagers and Wolf, had a star-making turn in the film. Scenes in which a demon possesses Ellen are particularly mind-blowing; as Depp contorts her body in a way that defies comprehension.
It was clearly a demanding project for both leading stars, with Hoult telling RTÉ Entertainment that working alongside writer and director Robert Eggers was a "big draw".
"We've both obviously seen his movies before this one and I think he's such an incredible, singular filmmaker that any actor would jump at the chance to get to work with him," the 34-year-old British actor said.
"Both of us being fans of his work beforehand, I think you know when you're stepping into a Robert Eggers world," Depp continued.
"You have a sense that it's going to be immersive and that it will hopefully feel something like watching his movies. But I think you couldn't have guessed just how immersive and how detailed it really was to step on set."
X-Men and The Favourite actor Hoult elaborated on the all-enveloping experience of shooting the beautifully crafted, atmospheric and chilling film.
"In terms of the world that Rob builds and Craig [Lathrop], the production designer as well, the sets are so detailed and beautifully built," he said.
"The first two or three weeks of the shoot were me trying to escape the castle. Rob would play music to make it very atmospheric and in the way Jarin [Blaschke, cinematographer] lights it all, it was candlelit and very dark and ominous, so it was quite an oppressive feeling.
"I always told myself, I don't think I ever want to do a horror movie because [of] the idea of acting scared and being terrified. You know it's pretend. But also, physically you have to try and trick your body into thinking it's real. I'd go home and I'd be stressed! Honey, how was your day? It was good. Did you escape? Nope. Still trying to escape!"
Hoult's character is desperately trying to escape from Count Orlock, who is horrifyingly brought to life by Swedish actor Bill Skarsgård. As well as a physical transformation with layers of prosthetics, Skarsgård trained to lower his vocal range to create the vampire's uniquely rasping, laboured voice.
Depp said of hearing Skarsgård in character for the first time: "It was hard to believe that it was actually a human voice like that. That it was purely Bill-made, that there was no effect on it or anything. It's very singular and it's terrifying."
"It's rooted in so much history and authenticity," Hoult continued. "The fun thing was, Rob was just playing it to us on his phone, but it filled the room even just off his phone. And then when you encounter it in person, with the physicality of what Bill did, it was terrifying."
Depp added: "The first time that I heard Bill do the voice in person, we were in rehearsals, he wasn't in costume or anything like that. It almost sounded as if it could be playing from a speaker on the other side of the room. You see this totally normal guy wearing these sweats and a t-shirt and then this terrifying voice, you can't make the connection between the two!"
Depp, the daughter of fellow actors Vanessa Paradis and Johnny Depp, has taken on her most physically demanding role to date. Speaking to RTÉ Entertainment, director Egger was keen to highlight that the scenes have not been enhanced by CGI. Instead, Depp worked closely with a movement coach in preparation for the part.
"That was definitely a huge part of the work for me," she said of mastering the possession scenes. "I couldn't have imagined how much work was going to go into it. I'm so grateful that the process was what it was because I was lucky enough to work with an amazing movement coach, Marie-Gabrielle Rotie.
"She is so talented and she really helped me not only to get the physicality of it but also to map it out so that each of the physical moments in the film had their own clear intention and a place that they were coming from so that they tell a story, in a way. She brought so much expertise to that whole aspect of the shoot."
Hoult said it was "incredible" to witness Depp at work.
"Lily's an unbelievably talented actress, so it was amazing just to watch her in scenes," he said. "But then the thing that I found so impressive was that emotionally she would be so connected to the truth in each moment. But then you'd see this physical transformation that would completely escape her body in a way.
"And then the thing that I found even more impressive about that is Rob gives very detailed notes and you know we shot this on film, everything in camera, frequently in longer shots that everything had to be in that shot.
"The notes would be very specific and she'd still be able to completely lose herself emotionally and physically, while still hitting every beat of the note that was incoming and keeping everything so precise... I was completely enthralled by that and blown away by how talented Lily is to be able to do that."
Depp added: "I think also there's something that comes with when you're moving your body in such an intense way and also in a way that I hadn’t necessarily moved my body before because why would I?"
"[You] haven't been possessed," Hoult interjected.
"Yeah. Somehow I haven't been possessed by a demonic force before!", Depp laughed. "I feel like there's also an emotion that comes with that. Obviously, you try to do everything to get yourself into the emotion of the scene anyway.
"Then also, I find that for me when I'm like moving my body a ton, it like shakes up emotions as well, you know, it throws them to the surface."
Nosferatu is out in cinemas on 1 January, 2025.
