Nicholas Hoult wants to stop "having to get naked" at work.
The 30-year-old actor – who stripped on camera for the first time when he was just 17 in TV show ‘Skins’ – had an awkward encounter with a Shetland pony while shooting ‘True History of the Kelly Gang’, which was only made worse when he was told the animal had never been inside and even its handler didn’t know how it would react.
He said: "I guess this character is a very relaxed sexual predator or whatever, but it’s never comfortable being naked on set, around 15, 30 or 100 people that you don’t know.
"In my mind, I’m like, ‘This pony just got lured in here with a carrot. I’m sitting here naked. It’s looking at me like I’m a tasty snack.’ I froze…
"I’d like to stop having to get naked at work."
For Nicholas’ latest role in ‘The Great’ – in which he stars opposite Elle Fanning – producers hired an intimacy co-ordinator and he praised bringing in the advisor because it makes for a much more "comfortable" experience on set.
He told GQ Hype magazine: "We had a few intimacy co-ordinators who would come along and help out with that, which is a great thing. This is the first job I’ve had that on and it’s a very positive change in the industry. It’s almost like having a stunt co-ordinator.
"They make sure everyone is comfortable in terms of what’s happening and agreements of what can happen, but also choreograph it in a way that makes sense for the story and what it is you’re trying to tell."
By contrast, stripping off for ‘Skins’ was much more uncomfortable and "terrifying".
He said: "Back then you’re a kid doing a job, and I’d done it for a long time at that point, but it’s also a weird position to be put in.
"Not that they were bad experiences or anything… It comes much more from, ‘Just get this done as quickly as possible so I can be comfortable again and carry on with the part of acting I like.’ A lot of acting is pretty terrifying."
Since becoming a dad to the two-year-old son he has with Bryana Holly, the British actor admitted it’s made him think again about taking on villainous parts.
He said: "I remember there was a scene in ‘The Kelly Gang’ where I had to hold a gun to a baby’s head. My son was around the same age and it was really difficult in many ways. It was actually quite horrible to do that.
"I was glad to not be playing that character any more, if I’m honest, because it was just doing horrible things every day at work. And that’s not something that sat too well."
Read the full interview with Nicholas online at GQ Hype https://www.gq-magazine.co.uk/culture/article/nicholas-hoult-the-great