What’s Nick Bateman Up To?

by Eddie Roche

 

Nick Bateman

 

One thing we know about Nick Bateman from meeting him last year is that he’s a man with a mission. Right now, when he isn’t making hearts swoon on Instagram and Facebook, he’s putting his muscles into a film project that some are calling the next Fifty Shades of Grey. We recently chatted with this Insta star to hear about his pet project and get the 411 on his real pet, Snapchat, and why he digs actor Christoph Waltz.

What’s your part in the film version of Ugly Love?
I’m playing the leading role, which is Miles Archer. He’s an airline pilot. He’s broken-hearted and you don’t know why while you’re reading the book. You find out at the end of the book why he is the way he is. In the story he meets the girl across the hall and they have a mutual attraction to each other, a sexual attraction. They make a rule, don’t ask about my past and don’t expect a future. Obviously things get ugly when they can’t stick to that. And then you find out why he’s like that at the end of the book.

How did this project come your way?
I found out about the book last year. I had all these notifications on my social media of people saying, ‘Nick Bateman should be Miles Archer, Nick Bateman should be Miles Archer’. And everyday I kept hearing, ‘Miles Archer, Miles Archer’. So it got to the point where I was like, ‘Holy sh*t, who is this Miles Archer guy?’ And I looked him up, and he ended up being the lead character in this book Ugly Love. So I went to my business partner, Cody Hackman, and he said, ‘Why don’t you reach out to [author] Colleen Hoover?’ We ended up contacting her about collaborating and she thought it was a good idea. So I thought obviously I needed to read the book first before I jumped the gun; I did, and I loved it. It’s kind of like Fifty Shades of Grey meets The Notebook, but not at all at the same time because it’s different stories and people. The book is truly about love, and how the ugliest part of love can ruin you, but how at the end of the day, there’s something down in there, there’s always love.

Is the book as sexual as Fifty Shades of Grey?
We marketed the teaser trailer a lot differently than the book. The book does have some sexual aspects, but not even close to as much as Fifty Shades of Grey. The book has two relationships. There’s Miles and Rachel, and they’re very passionate. They’re people who can’t not be around each other. They’re addicted to each other. And then it cuts back and forth to the different relationship when Miles is 26 years old. They obviously have feelings for each other, but he’s so closed off because of what happened and how the relationship ended. Throughout the book, they end up having lots of sex. But that’s all it is:it’s sex.

Do you get nervous about filming those scenes?
No, I’m pretty comfortable in my skin. I’m going to be focused on what I’m doing and not looking at the crew. I’ll man up and have some fun.

Is there a director attached yet?
We have a couple in mind. I can’t say any names. We’re looking around right now.

When will you start filming?
We hope to start filming in the fall. Our goal is to start shooting in September.

Are you taking acting classes?
I’ve been doing a Meisner acting technique class. It’s intensive, actually. I’ve been doing four hours, four days a week. It’s amazing. My teacher is a great acting coach, and I’ve been learning a lot.

Which actor’s career do you aspire to?
One of my favorite actors is Christoph Waltz, though I wouldn’t say following his exact career, because I have a different aesthetic than him. He was in  Inglorious Bastards and Django Unchained. He’s just amazing at what he does. I would definitely love to follow in his professionalism, in how good of an actor he is. Besides that, I really like comedy stuff and improv. Like Jonah Hill’s career; he’s jokey. I’m a big goof, and I have a sense of humor no one really knows about it. That’s kind of my thing. I love comedy.

Nick Bateman

We hear you’ve been gaining weight for this role.
I want to be muscular and strong and an adult for this role, but I don’t want to gain too much weight. I’m gaining weight in my legs and my chest so I can bring more of a manliness vibe to the role because I’ve always been around 200 pounds. I think 215 pounds would be a good weight for this.

What’s your exercise and eating routine these days?
I’m lifting more weights now. Instead of three big meals, I’ve been eating six smaller meals a day. I have pre-prepared meals that I eat throughout the day to speed my metabolism. I’m eating a lot of steak and protein and all that stuff.

Do you eat any crappy food? Please tell us you do..
Once a week I’ll have a cheat day. I’ll order a large pizza or grab a burger. I eat right most of the week except for my cheat day.

Thoughts on the Ugly Love being compared to Fifty Shades of Grey?
The movies are pretty much nothing alike. Ugly Love is more about lust and how it can get ugly, and it really has nothing to do with sex. There is sex in the movie, but the comparison was just from all the people comparing the teaser to Fifty Shades of Grey. We did the teaser based on the hashtag that went viral that people kept tagging everywhere #MilesHighClub. We thought, ‘Okay, let’s get them excited and show them the dark side of Miles, and let’s show them the Miles High Club. So we showed Miles walking down the hallway, getting on a plane. It cuts back and forth from this plane, and it shows him having sex with someone, but you don’t know who it is. It could have been a different time, but it wasn’t actually in the book. We had a lot of book readers being like what the hell, that’s not in the book? But we had to remind them they were just teasers. “Why would you make a teaser like this? It’s nothing like the book.” So the comparison article came out. It actually ended up being really good because it got the movie awareness up to the 50 Shades of Grey level.

Are you prepared to be asked if you’ve been in the mile high club?
I’m sure I’m gonna hear that a lot. I’m ready for it.

Let’s set the record straight now…Have you ever joined the “Mile High Club”?
No! I have not. Not yet.

Glad we got the scoop on that. So, are you into Snapchat?
I just got Snapchat about a month ago. I’m just getting used to it; I haven’t really used it before, but it’s kind of a cool way to interact with the people that follow you and get to see your life in real-time. On Instagram, you can edit your stuff and put it up days later and that kind of stuff. Snapchat you put it up right now, or it’s gone. It gives the people who are following you an update of what you’re doing right now. I try to update people with live stuff of what I’m doing.

Do you think it will take off like Instagram?
From reading articles and people that I’ve talked to, Snapchat is actually more interactive. I think a lot of people like it because on Instagram you have to think about your post, and Snapchat, you don’t have to think about your post. You won’t ever know if people like it or not. If you put a picture of a bird up people have to click through it. I think they’re on to something.

On Instagram, you often pose with a super cute dog.
The dog on Instagram is my dog. His name is Joey. I got him in Canada five years ago when I was living in an apartment in Canada. He’s a cool dog. I’ve never had a small dog before. I had big dogs my whole life; I never wanted a small dog. I always grew up in places with huge backyards for dogs to run around. I thought it was unfair to buy a big dog if I lived in an apartment. He’s an awesome dog. I trained him like a big dog. He doesn’t bark. I can’t take him on long jogs because he’s pretty lazy. He actually has his own Instagram as well. He has almost 100,000 followers, which is actually pretty funny. Chilling with him is fun, and he’s a cool dog. And he listens, so I can basically give or do anything with him. He just sits there and goes with it.

Has he stayed humble since getting 100,000 followers or is he acting out a bit?
It’s funny, he’s just a little dog walking around my house and he has no idea. I have had people walk up to me and be like “Hey, I’m a big fan of your dog. Can you tell him I say hi?” And they’ll walk away. I find that hilarious.

Are you still enjoying living in L.A.?
It’s nice, the weather is awesome, there’s a lot of stuff going on here. I like the hustle and bustle of work here. I don’t have too many new friends here, since I’ve been working so hard, but I definitely still like it.

Always good to catch up with you!
Thank you! I’m really looking forward to this project!

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