Who is Nicholas Galitzine? British actor to star in Harry Styles-inspired romcom The Idea of You

The 29-year-old has starred in the Beat Beneath My Feet, Netflix’s Purple Hearts, and more
Nicholas Galitzine with co-star Anne Hathaway in The Idea of You
The Idea of You - Official Trailer | Prime Video
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Nicholas Galitzine stars in the highly anticipated new rom-com on Amazon Prime, The Idea Of You — the trailer for which has been released.

Based on Robinne Lee’s 2017 best-selling novel, it stars Anne Hathaway as Solène, a 40-year-old single mum. She begins a romance with boyband member Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), 24, after a chance meeting at Coachella music festival.

The story is partly inspired by One Direction member turned solo sensation Harry Styles.

The movie adaptation will be released on Amazon Prime on May 2, 2024.

Film fans have reacted to the trailer on social media, with one saying: "Never seen anything so perfect in my entire life."

Another said of Galitzine's growing acting portfolio: "He is everywhere now and I'm glad. He's a great actor."

But who is Galitzine and what else has he starred in? Here's what you need to know.

Who is Nicholas Galitzine?

Family life

Nicholas Galitzine as George and Tony Curran as James VI and I
Sky UK

Galitzine was born in Hammersmith, London, on September 29, 1994. This makes him 29.

His mother, Lora Maria Konstantina Papayann, emigrated from Greece to live in London. His father, Geoffrey Leo Alexander Galitzine, is an entrepreneur and a former financier in the city of London, whose business interests include a glass-recycling business.

His sister, Lexi Galitzine, is an illustrator and interior stylist. 

Galitzine attended Dulwich College and enjoyed playing rugby and football. He participated in county-level athletics competitions while at school and played for the Harlequins Academy until an injury to his rotator cuff forced him to give up playing sport.

The Beat Beneath My Feet beginnings 

In 2014, Galitzine landed his first film role, The Beat Beneath My Feet. It is a small family drama about a young man, Tom (Galitzine), who discovers his neighbour Steve (Luke Perry) is secretly a disgraced rock hero who faked his death to escape his debts. Tom gets Steve to teach him guitar in return for keeping his secret and the pair become friends.

However, Galitzine told Nuit magazine his first creative pursuit was music.

"I picked up a guitar a few years ago and eventually started singing,” he said. “I had always been petrified of the idea of performing in front of other people but, after a couple of gigs, one very much mirroring the Battle of the Bands in The Beat Beneath My Feet, I was completely captivated by the idea of performing. Acting wouldn’t even cross my mind until a year later."

He described playing his first lead role as "scary".

"It’s so much responsibility, especially considering I had never had any training, you wonder whether you are coming across well on screen," he said. "In the end, you just have to depend on your instincts, which is really what acting is, so I suppose, in a way, I was blessed. I’m also incredibly proud and honoured the production team felt they could place such a great responsibility on my shoulders."

By his early 20s, Galitzine starred in more films, including Netflix’s Purple Hearts. 

Breakout role

Taylor Zakhar Perez as Alex Claremont-Diaz and Nicholas Galitzine as Prince Henry in Prime Video’s Red, White & Royal Blue.
Jonathan Prime / Prime Video

It was 2023's Red, White & Royal Blue that had Galitzine's name on everyone's lips. Based on the 2019 novel of the same name, Galitzine portrays the fictional Prince Henry of England opposite Taylor Zakhar Perez. It depicts a developing love affair between Alex Claremont-Diaz (Zakhar Perez) and Prince Henry (Galitzine).

Galitzine told Teen Vogue that he admired the script beyond Henry’s sexuality. “He felt really real,” he said. “I felt like I empathised with him. I didn’t really feel a pressure necessarily, in that capacity. It just felt like a really beautiful story.” While he didn’t read the novel before filming, as he treats the script as his bible, he’s since read author Casey McQuiston’s source material.

That same year, Galitzine starred in the raunchy comedy Bottoms as Jeff, alongside woman of the moment Ayo Edebiri (as Josie) and Rachel Sennott (as PJ).

Dating rumours

Galitzine tends to keep his private life out of the public eye. 

However, in 2019 he opened up about a woman who unexpectedly helped kickstart his film career.

“There was a girl who was going up to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival who I really fancied. I did [the festival] so I could go chase this girl. And I came back with this acting agency,” Galitzine told Wonderland magazine.

However, he and his Cinderella co-star, Camila Cabello, have remained close after filming. In March 2022, the actor shared a candid photo with the singer on Instagram with the caption: “Luv you.”

Galitzine’s fashion foray

Getty Images for Fendi

In 2023, Galitzine became Fendi’s first global menswear ambassador. He also became the face of the Men’s Fall/Winter 2023-24 Fendi campaign.

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