Nicolas Hamilton has been acting since a pre-teen. Now he’s adding music to an already impressive resume working alongside Hollywood heavyweights.
You may not know Nicholas Hamilton – after all he’s a mere twenty-one-years of age. But you would recognise him on the big screen, most notably playing son to Nicole Kidman and Joseph Fiennes in 2015’s suspense drama Strangerland. Since then, Hamilton’s profile has grown with roles alongside Viggo Mortensen in Captain Fantastic and Idris Elba in The Dark Tower. Furthermore, he recently released his own music and has taken the self-discovery journey in coming out.
No doubt an exciting career awaits, but the ignition phase all began for Hamilton as a ten-year-old in regional NSW.
“I grew up in a tiny village called Alstonville, in between Lismore and Ballina,” he says.
“I went to primary school just outside of Lismore, which is where my first exposure to acting happened – in the fifth-grade musical. Whenever they did those extra curriculars, they put everyone in and hoped it was good. I asked for the role with the least lines, and they gave me an Elvis impersonator! But I really enjoyed it and the process involved. Afterwards my mum helped me join an agency.”
Nicholas Hamilton as Charlie in Love Victor
Hamilton’s dedication toward acting paid off early, scoring an award win which led to the impressive role opposite Kidman and Fiennes.
“They were the two big breaks which kind of snowballed into each other,” says Hamilton.
“My first job where I got some recognition was the short film Tire, which I won a Tropfest Best Actor award for. That landed me a Melbourne agent and Strangerland, which was wild! When you do something like that at thirteen you don’t really have enough life experiences to compare it to. So, I probably took it all for granted, but now I’m twenty-one and realise just how much that experience gave me.”
“If my being out helps any kid also wanting to come out, then that’s awesome!”
Playing alongside major Hollywood stars would surely prove the perfect training ground for a teenage actor. The idea of mentoring from Kidman, Mortensen and Elba would be a dream to any inspiring actor. So, was that the case for Hamilton?
“Absolutely,” he says.
“I found that happened with a lot of the bigger actors I’ve worked with, especially being a kid, because they’re more inclined to help you. But even if you’re not, they’re all very giving like that. It even happens by proxy, in the way I was able to watch Nicole act, which is something you don’t get to do every day!”
In 2016’s Captain Fantastic, Viggo Mortensen played a devoted father to a large family in the ‘fish out of water’ family drama. Hamilton played his son Rellian.
“Captain Fantastic was a phenomenal experience with six kids on set, all under the same father, being Viggo Mortensen,” says Hamilton.
Nicholas Hamilton’s EP Pretty Young
“Viggo’s known as one of the kindest and most generous people in Hollywood, and that role couldn’t have gone to anyone else. He was a father to all of us on set and we still share that same bond today.”
But if you haven’t recognised Hamilton as part of an on-screen family ensemble, you may remember him as the frightening Henry Bowers in Stephen King’s modern horror classic, It.
“I’m not actually a horror movie fan,” laughs Hamilton.
“The experience of being on a horror film set is a lot less scary than actually watching them. If anything, they’re more fun. All my friends in the States are quite into horror films, and we’ve seen a few together, so I’ve been forced to get better at watching them! But in It, I was lucky enough to be the one who actually did the scaring! I feel I’m better at evoking fear than being fearful for the camera, but all emotions are different. Being able to cry, be scared, happy or just being static all have their hardships.”
“Being openly gay in this day and age is attributable to what’s happened over the last forty years.”
Being openly gay, it was somehow fitting that Hamilton should find his way onto one of the most popular gay comedy-dramas of the moment, Love Victor. Brief as his appearance was!
“It was really cool to be on a production that means so much to the LGBTIQ+ community,” says Hamilton.
“Even to be in a very small part was incredible, as it’s a show I personally love. When the producers came to me for that one-scene role, they wanted someone who was white, preppie and able to give a very masculine vibe, which is obviously something I very much carry. I’m so strong and bulky! (Breaking into laughter).
“It was awesome just to be on set for a day and to now be good mates with Michael Cimino (Victor), and Anthony Turpel (Felix) is amazing.”
While sexual identity is not something Hamilton wears on his sleeve, he is openly out and proud. Considering how Hollywood’s past actors were forced into the closet (such as in Netflix’s Hollywood) it’s inspiring that Hamilton and others no longer feel the need to hide.
Nicholas Hamilton in a scene from Endless
“I first came out at eighteen,” says Hamilton.
“I told my mum and there was a conversation about how open I should be on my social media and such, but ever since I started acting way back as a child, I never liked the idea of lying. That’s why when it comes to my music, I write stuff that’s very personal. I really couldn’t give a shit what people know about me, but if my being out helps any kid also wanting to come out, then that’s awesome! In terms of the industry, especially in LA, it’s not really a thing at all. Most people here are on the LGBTIQ+ spectrum, so it doesn’t seem to matter. It might still be a bit of a thing in Australia, but in the States, especially in the film industry, it’s well passed.”
Having said that, growing up gay is never short of its issues with homophobia rearing in some shape or form. As the actor points out, even his generation have had their problems, not unlike those of the past.
“I guess what I experienced growing up was more of the ignorant stuff,” he says.
“I’m very much a product of my time in the early 2000’s, where something was called ‘gay’ as an insult. Even my brother and I would do that when we were around the age of eight. It’s certainly not something I’m proud of, but it wasn’t intended to be harmful. It still goes on back in Australia though, and it’s a massive reason for why I love being in the States, because you just don’t see it. Being openly gay in this day and age is attributable to what’s happened over the last forty years and that progress has been made by people much braver than me.”
“I didn’t want to play the victim, because there are thousands who’ve had Covid so much worse.”
For the Millennials, life has also included growing up in a world full of issues. Hamilton’s generation has lived through 9/11, the Afghan war, the resurgence of homophobia, Trump and our current global pandemic. Earlier this year, the actor announced on his social media that he’d contracted COVID-19.
“After spending a few months in Australia, I flew to LA to unwind,” he says.
“I got the Johnson & Johnson one-shot vaccine on arrival, but I wasn’t careful enough in between getting the jab and being fully immunised. The symptoms came about quite suddenly. I was fine one morning, went into the studio and three hours later passed out. It was the worst flu experience I’ve ever had! When I wrote that post on social media, I was trying to be super careful with my words. I didn’t want to play the victim, because there are thousands of people who’ve had it so much worse. My post was purely to spread information, urge people to get vaccinated and to wait out that immunisation period afterwards. Do as I say, not as I do! And listen to the doctors and scientists. Chances are they’re a teensy bit smarter than us!”
On listening to Hamilton’s music, it’s easy to see a maturity and awareness in his work. Upbeat yet sentimental, his debut EP Pretty Young has already proven successful, displaying a diversity not only through song, but in the creation of the artist’s own videos – something he also attributes to his mentors.
Nicholas Hamilton in a scene from Stephen King’s It
“Part of the reason I called the EP Pretty Young is because the majority of songs are like little diary entries of what I’ve gone through in my life,” he says.
“Having everything from the past twenty-one years come together in a live action video was so nostalgic and important to me. My mum had a hard drive full of ‘golden oldie’ photos I wanted to put into a video slideshow, but I also discovered a folder with hours of actual video footage! It’s so trippy to watch yourself as a kid. I was sitting at my laptop, listening to my voice as an eight-year-old and seeing my parents still together.”
While Hamilton’s music tastes include Yebba, Quinn XCII and Aloe Blacc, he says that music has always been in his blood, thanks also to family road trips with blasts of Cold Chisel, The Eagles and his brother’s love for the sounds of Triple J.
As for the future, whether it’s music or movies, Hamilton feels he’s in the best of both worlds. He’s currently filming Brave the Dark, playing a homeless teenager who finds solace in the friendship of a teacher.
“It was one of those movies that the pandemic kept pushing out,” he says.
“But we’re back and shooting in Philadelphia. It’s Indie style and something I can really sink my teeth into. Brave the Dark is a true story set in the Eighties about drama teacher Stan Dean who took a student under his wing. It’s a heartfelt story about the teacher’s heroic nature. I play the student Nathan and Jared Harris from The Crown plays Dean, while his real life brother Damian is the director.”
Apart from acting and his music, Hamilton still spends time gaming with friends – and watching the odd horror movie – and it’s refreshing to see he can still make time to embrace his youth.
I’m pretty lucky to have two careers,” he says.
“I actually consider them hobbies that I get paid for! I like watching movies and writing music. I enjoy that, but I also like just hanging out with my friends.”
For more visit: nicholashamilton.streamlink.to/PrettyYoungEP
Follow Nick @nicholas.hamilton
