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"Nowadays we have so many things that take our attention - phones, Internet - and perhaps we need to disconnect from those and focus on the immediate world around us and the people that are actually present." These are wise words from actor Nicholas Hoult, who understands that playing a role on TV or film is very different from playing a role in real life. In other words, it's important to play a role on the screen, but playing a role in real life and ignoring what's really happening to and around you can be a serious problem. People need to be engaged with life and one another, in order to be successful and help each other improve. But how did Hoult get so wise, and what can he offer to fans in the future? Here's what you need to know about the talented professional.

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Growing Up and Getting His Start in England

Born in Wokingham, Berkshire, Hoult's mother was a piano teacher and his father was a pilot. His great-aunt was an actress on film and the stage, and he has three siblings. His brother studies biology in the United States, and his two sisters are both actresses. With his sisters being interested in acting early on, Hoult frequently went with them when they auditioned or were otherwise involved in the industry. The children also spent time in nature, playing outside, and doing all the normal childhood things that are expected. His father worked away from home and his brother went away to attend school, so Hoult spent a lot of time with his sisters and his mother. He believes that helped to keep him out of a lot of trouble, and give him a better understanding of women.

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He practiced ballet, sang in the choir, and played trombone as a child. Initially he thought he would get into some kind of scientific field, but then he made the choice at age 12 to go to acting school. But even though he didn't pursue a real career in acting until he went to theater school, that didn't mean he didn't have acting roles when he was younger. He was actually discovered when he was just three years old, and was in a feature film called Intimate Relations (1996) when he was five. He was in a number of TV productions after that, and treated them as a hobby. He liked the excitement and meeting new people, but he wasn't interested in acting for a career. It was like being part of a team, and he enjoyed that aspect of it. Then, he started to take it more seriously.

2011 and Beyond Meant Commercial Success

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Hoult tries to keep things settled and even, preferring to avoid too many highs and lows that could cause problems and conflict. Regarding that, he has said, "I try not to be too optimistic or pessimistic. If you're a pessimist then that's depressing all the time; if you're an optimist and things don't work out then that's depressing, too." He was cast in Mad Max: Fury Road, which was supposed to start filming in 2010. There were a number of production delays, and while he was waiting Hoult started to look around for other work. He found it in 2011 with X-Men. Then Mad Max was filmed in 2012. Both of the films did reasonably well at the box office and with critics, which gave Hoult some recognition and commercial success he wasn't necessarily looking for.

From there, Hoult decided that acting might be the right choice after all. He was in a number of other films that were commercially successful, and then in 2017 he turned his attention to biographical and independent films, instead. Not all of these films did well at the box office, and many of them were also ignored or discounted by critics. Despite that, Hoult continued to make films that were important to him, or that he enjoyed working on. Since he was acting as a career but also aware of the idea that he could choose to do something else, he wasn't bothered by the reactions from critics who weren't happy with the types of characters he was playing or the movies he was making.

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Hoult has been in a relationship with an American model since 2017, and the couple have a child together. Before that relationship he dated Jennifer Lawrence. He's also a philanthropist and contributes to a number of charities. Giving is important to him, and he wants to succeed and see others succeed both on and off the big screen. He donates to charities to help impoverished children, to reduce cruelty, and to help those with cancer. Fans haven't seen the last of the talented actor, who will continue helping others and taking roles that can help him grow and develop as an actor. Many of the actors he admires didn't really come into their own until their 30s or later, so Hoult knows he has plenty of time to perfect his art and make his mark on the acting world.