The actor says it’s “important to have people in your life who keep you grounded”
Nicholas Galitzine understands his job can sometimes get in the way of personal relationships.
The British actor, who played Prince Henry in the 2023 rom-com Red, White & Royal Blue, stars opposite Anne Hathaway in the new romance The Idea of You. In it, he plays Hayes Campbell, a world-famous pop star and member of the boy band August Moon.
Hayes, in his early 20s, struggles with making true connections while touring and being a beloved idol — until he has a chance encounter at Coachella with Solène, an art dealer and single mom, played by Hathaway, 41.
Galitzine, 29, identified with some of Hayes’s struggles.
“I am acutely aware that I am so lucky to do the job that I do, but it, like any job, has its pitfalls,” he tells PEOPLE. “The transience of the job, never really being in the same place at the same time as maybe family or relationships, can be really difficult, really straining.”
“It’s why it’s important to have people in your life who keep you grounded and keep your energy up, keep you going,” adds Galitzine, also a lead on the Starz series Mary & George. “It’s also important to take breaks and have time to yourself as a human being as well.”
Still, “I think Hayes is a lot more famous than I am,” says Galitzine, adding that musicians have added challenges that actors maybe avoid.
“In a lot of ways it’s really difficult for pop stars because at least with an actor, you kind of have this buffer with the characters that you play, people know that’s not you,” says Galitzine. “Whereas with musicians, a lot of the time your onstage persona can get blended with who you are in private.”
He adds, “That sort of confusion of haze between who is he behind closed doors and who is he onstage was a really interesting thing to get into.”
“It’s why it’s important to have people in your life who keep you grounded and keep your energy up, keep you going,” adds Galitzine, also a lead on the Starz series Mary & George. “It’s also important to take breaks and have time to yourself as a human being as well.”
Still, “I think Hayes is a lot more famous than I am,” says Galitzine, adding that musicians have added challenges that actors maybe avoid.
“In a lot of ways it’s really difficult for pop stars because at least with an actor, you kind of have this buffer with the characters that you play, people know that’s not you,” says Galitzine. “Whereas with musicians, a lot of the time your onstage persona can get blended with who you are in private.”
He adds, “That sort of confusion of haze between who is he behind closed doors and who is he onstage was a really interesting thing to get into.”