Nicholas Hoult, the Downtrodden, Perpetually Abused Henchman of Dracula in ‘Renfield’

A wildly creative take on vampire mythology, “Renfield” stars Nicholas Hoult as the downtrodden, perpetually abused henchman of Dracula (Nicolas Cage).

After serving his exploitative master for decades, Renfield grapples with an everlasting-life crisis, no longer willing to do Dracula’s bidding but unsure how to forge his own path.

This changes when he meets New Orleans cop Rebecca (Awkwafina), a principled officer tackling unresolved anger issues, determined to bring down the city’s most powerful crime family, led by Bellafrancesca Lobo (Shohreh Aghdashloo) and her son Tedward (Ben Schwartz). Inspired by Rebecca’s stand for justice, Renfield envisions a brighter future, one where he might escape his nightly servitude and rejoin the living.

After more than a century of servitude, Renfield longs to be away from all-powerful Dracula, but the vampire has no intention of allowing Renfield to walk free. It’s a situation that’s left Renfield feeling largely hopeless and unhappy. The role is portrayed by Emmy nominee Nicholas Hoult. Hoult immediately zeroed in on Renfield’s emotional core. “Renfield’s just exhausted with the prospect of continuing to do Dracula’s dirty work,” Hoult says.

“He’s worn down, beaten down and looking for an escape or some sort of spark to return to his normal life and what he misses. It’s a toxic relationship between Renfield and Dracula—they’ve been together for so long and they really know how to push each other’s buttons and work against each other.”

Few actors commit to a role the way Academy Award®-winner Nicolas Cage does, and his outsized presence made him an obvious choice to take on the iconic role of Dracula. Not to mention, he had previously embraced his inner bloodsucker very early in his career, for the 1988 cult favorite Vampire’s Kiss.

For Cage, the challenge lay in tapping into the complicated dynamic between his character and Hoult’s—finding the nuances of their rapport while remaining true to both the horrific and comedic moments.

“The subject matter itself is not funny, it’s disturbing,” Cage says.

“But at the root of it, there is a kind of love there. And then there are moments where it’s just abuse. It’s the dark side of human relationships that we’re exploring in this. That’s not an easy subject to take on, and certainly, to give it the spin of comedy, it’s tricky.”

As Renfield battles his toxic relationship with Dracula, New Orleans police officer Rebecca faces her own struggles. Portrayed by Awkwafina, known for her roles in Crazy Rich Asians, The Farewell, and Marvel’s Shang-Chi and the Legend of Ten Rings, the rapport between Hoult and Awkwafina feels genuine, as both actors enjoyed working together.

“Nick Hoult is the perfect leading man,” Awkwafina says. “His energy is magnetic, and what he’s bringing to this character is a level of humor that is really hard to embody. I found myself cracking up all the time when I was working with him.”

A Universal Pictures International release, “Renfield” will open in PH cinemas on April 26.

(ROHN ROMULO)