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Nicholas Hoult ate salt-and-vinegar-flavored bugs while making Renfield

Clark Collis
·2 min read

In the horror-comedy Renfield, Nicholas Hoult plays the title character — Count Dracula's assistant — who is required to find victims for his fanged boss, portrayed by Nicolas Cage.

"In this story, it's kind of 100 years on from when their relationship originated," Hoult explains in EW's Around the Table with the Renfield cast and filmmakers. "What becomes of that man after years of servitude, and looking after Dracula, and breaking down himself in order to keep his master happy?"

Renfield
Renfield

Michele K. Short / Universal Pictures Nicholas Hoult in 'Renfield'

Working for Drac does have some benefits. In the film, in theaters now, Hoult's Renfield gains superhuman strength when he eats bugs. In real life, the actor consumed actual insects for the cameras.

"He went hardcore, because he ate the potato bug," says Cage of his costar.

"The potato bugs were not good," says Hoult.

"I ate a potato bug too," reveals Renfield director Chris McKay. "I didn't need to. I wasn't on camera. I didn't need to eat a potato bug, but I did in solidarity."

"It's a very scary-looking insect," says Cage. "It's quite gross, and when I say gross I mean 'big' and also 'gross' as it is grotesque. It's like an oversized ant. It's quite horrendous."

"The best thing we ate were the crickets," continues Hoult. "The crickets were like smoky bacon flavor and salt and vinegar. I love salt and vinegar, so I was happy about eating the crickets. You would occasionally get little bits stuck in your teeth. But, then, the props team were amazing, they made caramel cockroaches for me, so I got to eat those, which were delicious. Also, the worms were just gummy worms in crushed-up Oreos to make it look like dirt."

Cage did not eat any insects for Renfield, but the actor did famously chow down on a couple of cockroaches while making 1988's Vampire's Kiss and is genuinely evangelical about the benefits of consuming creepy-crawlies.

"If we could get over our phobia of eating insects you could solve world starvation," said the Con Air star. "It's high protein, no fat, extreme nutrients, and they're just abundant, they're everywhere. But, no, we're not going to do that!"

"This is what we were saying, that we're going to start off our own insect nutrition line," says Hoult.

"Like, Paul Newman's salad [dressing], except bugs," says Cage. "For charity!"

"We'll be dressed up as potato bugs on the packaging," riffs Hoult.

"Yeah, cute little cricket bugs," adds Cage.

Watch the full Around the Table with the Renfield cast and filmmakers above.

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