Nicholas Galitzine has been cast to star as Hoyt Richards in an upcoming biopic about the man widely credited as the world’s first male supermodel, with Gus Van Sant set to direct.
Nicholas Galitzine is stepping into the spotlight in a way that’s already turning heads: he’s been cast to play Hoyt Richards in an upcoming biopic about the man widely considered the world’s first male supermodel.
The project’s plot details are still under wraps, but the directing team is already a big draw. Gus Van Sant—best known for Good Will Hunting and Milk and a two-time Oscar nominee—will direct the film.
For Galitzine, the casting lands on the heels of a busy stretch. Moviegoers can currently catch him in Masters of the Universe and The Sheep Detectives. He’s also set to next appear in Netflix’s Peter Berg-directed historical sports drama The Mosquito Bowl. and he’s expected to return as Prince Henry in the sequel Red. White & Royal Wedding.
Galitzine’s rise to widespread attention started with 2023’s Red, White & Royal Blue, where he played Prince Henry. He later earned recognition for his role in the miniseries Mary & George.
At 64, Richards carries an outsized legacy in fashion. In the late 1980s, he emerged as one of the most recognizable faces in men’s style, and at the height of his career he was the highest-paid male model in the world. He worked with major brands including Versace, Ralph Lauren and Valentino.
But Richards’ story doesn’t end with runway glory. He’s currently featured in the HBO docuseries Bring Me the Beauties. which explores his involvement with the Eternal Values cult. The organization was led by Frederick von Mierers. who claimed to be an alien consciousness in human form and played a role in kickstarting Richards’ modeling career.
In the docuseries. Richards’ early relationship to that world is presented as complicated—he donated millions of dollars to the organization while dismissing the idea that he was in a cult at first. Over time. he came to understand the reality of what he had been part of. and he eventually made peace with it.
Recently, Richards spoke to People about how the truth landed with force. Accepting it was “absolutely crushing” for him. he said. describing how the “whole idea” he had resisted for so long became undeniable. He pointed to the way cults can build a protective bubble. adding that “Cults really create this environment of ‘you need to isolate. ’” so people aren’t getting “outside sources of conflict.”.
He also reflected on what he believed protected him at the beginning—his own skepticism. even if it came from ignorance. Richards said his initial “highly uninformed and basically ignorant” viewpoint ultimately “protected” him. and he described how he used his own self-image as a yardstick: “I really was my own worst enemy in that sense where the main criteria I used to tell myself that this can’t be a cult was the fact that I was in this group and the fact that I. in my self-image. I would never join a cult. ” Richards said.
Nicholas Galitzine Hoyt Richards biopic Gus Van Sant Red White & Royal Blue White & Royal Wedding Masters of the Universe The Sheep Detectives The Mosquito Bowl Bring Me the Beauties Eternal Values cult