Success always seems to find its way to Nicholas Galitzine, who stars in two hit films released in August alone. The British actor got his first acting role in 2014, starring alongside Luke Perry in The Beat Beneath My Feet. Now, at just 28 years old, his credits include some of the highest-rated films of the last decade.
Starting with Red, White, & Royal Blue, here are the best movies featuring the star in his career so far.
Red, White, & Royal Blue (2023)
Released on Aug. 11, Galitzine stars in the LGBTQ+ romcom Red, White, & Royal Blue alongside Taylor Zakhar Perez. He portrays a British prince caught up in a political scandal after getting into a scuffle with the son of the U.S. president, played by Perez. As part of their plan for damage control, the duo feigns a friendship that morphs into a secret romance.
With an incredible 95 percent audience approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the movie will likely skyrocket Galitzine’s career. A review of the movie in the San Francisco Chronicle noted:
“It’s not easy to make an amusing, accessible diversion that mixes LGBTQ positivity and national politics, but “Red, White & Blue” passes the test with flying colors.”
You can stream Red, White, & Royal Blue on Prime Video.
Bottoms (2023)
Earning itself an incredible 97 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, Bottoms is a raunchy teen comedy that highlights the LGBTQ+ high school experience. Starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri, it tells the story of two senior girls who start a fight club to help them lose their virginity to cheerleaders. Galitzine portrays a “psychotic” high school jock, a character unlike any other he has played in the past.
The film received overwhelmingly positive reviews when it premiered at South by Southwest in March. A review written by a film critic at Variety remarked:
“Bottoms is unlike any high-school comedy you’ve ever seen. It’s a satire of victimization, a satire of violence, and a satire of itself. It walks a tightrope between sensitivity and insanity (with a knowing bit of inanity), and it’s full of moments that are defiantly what we once used to call incorrect.”
Bottoms will have a limited theatrical release beginning on Aug. 25. followed by an expanded release on Sept. 1.
Handsome Devil (2016)
Galitzine starred in the Certified Fresh Irish drama Handsome Devil alongside Fionn O’Shea in 2016. The actor plays Connor, a rugby star whose roommate Ned is an outcast at an all-boys boarding school in Ireland. They form an unlikely friendship, but after a dispute, Ned outs Connor as gay to their schoolmates, causing him to run away.
Handsome Devil premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before being released in Ireland theatres in 2017. A Los Angeles Times article praised the film for capturing “the privileged, self-involved vibe of tony private schools as well as the emotional seesawing of developing teens.”
On top of receiving critical acclaim, the film also received awards from the Dublin Film Critics Circle and the Celtic Media Festival. You can stream Handsome Devil now on Plex, Tubi, or Peacock.
High Strung (2016)
In one of Galitzine’s early films, High Strung, he portrays a brooding violinist named Johnnie living illegally in the United States. He stars opposite actress and professional dancer Keenan Kampa, who plays Ruby, a ballerina attending a private school on scholarship. Their characters cross paths after Ruby gets knocked over while dancing, and Johnnie helps her get up, distracting him long enough to be robbed.
High Strung premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival in February 2016 before it got released in April. A review in The Village Voice praised the film for “capturing accomplished dancers in genres from ballet to Irish step, [the director’s] whirling camera reminds us that New York can feel like a city of infinite possibility for young performers.”
You can stream High Strung now on Amazon Prime, fuboTV, Pluto, and Tubi.
The Idea of You (TBA)
Galitzine stars in the highly anticipated film The Idea of You alongside Anne Hathaway, which has yet to be released. Hathaway plays a 40-year-old divorcee who attends Coachella with her daughter after her ex-husband bails. There she meets a young, famous pop star, played by Galitzine, who helps her rediscover her self-worth.
Based on Robinne Lee’s novel of the same name, One Direction fans believe the author based Galitzine’s character on Harry Styles. However, Lee told Vogue this was never her intention.
“This was never supposed to be a book about Harry Styles. It was supposed to be a story about a woman approaching 40 and reclaiming her sexuality and rediscovering herself, just at the point that society traditionally writes women off as desirable and viable and whole.”
No date for the release has been set yet, but based on the actor’s track record so far, it’ll be worth the wait.