Nicholas Hoult was a surprise as the voice of Jon in The Garfield Movie (2024)

When you think of Nicholas Hoult, what comes to mind? For us, it might be as a younger Hank/Beast in the X-Men movies or even as Renfield in the movie of the same name. Or if you have been a fan for a while, it could even be as R in the movie Warm Bodies. But no matter where you might recognize Hoult from, it has always felt like he has a very distinctive presence and voice when on screen.

When we first learned that the actor would be voicing the character of Jon Arbuckle in The Garfield Movie (2024), it came as a bit of surprise. Would Nicholas Hoult really be able to give Jon the right voice?

Luckily for fans of both Garfield and Hoult, we are thrilled to realize he was the perfect choice for the role. While we didn't get nearly enough Jon in The Garfield Movie, what we did get made it clear that Nicholas Hoult really was Jon Arbuckle.

Nicholas Hoult brought Jon to life in The Garfield Movie perfectly

Maybe it was the fact that in a lot of ways, it really felt like Hoult was able to channel the previous voice actors for this character, because I honestly would never have known who the actor was if I hadn't seen the credits and cast list. The actor truly sounded like the Jon I remember from the cartoons of my childhood (or at least when I was a teenager), and while that could just be faulty memories, it helped to evoke a sense of nostalgia while watching the movie.

While we might think of Nicholas Hoult as a versatile actor, able to bring heroes and villains to life in equal measure, there is something to be said for an actor who can also bring their voice work to an iconic character and make us forget that they are the ones lending their voice. He was truly brilliant, but in a subtle and understated way that has hoping he gets a chance to do it all over again in the future.

We can't wait to see what else Nicholas Hoult has in store for us, and if that includes more voice work, we would not be mad at that.

The Garfield Movie premieres in theaters on May 23, 2024. And you can check out even more movie coverage from the film over on our sister site, Dog O'Day.