Ralph Ineson: The Yorkshire-born actor who is one of the most in-demand men in Hollywood

The movie became an instant cult classic and also a pivotal moment in Ineson’s life as it changed the trajectory of his career.

The York-born actor was already a popular figure in the UK with his distinct voice and memorable appearances in Game of Thrones, Harry Potter and as Chris Finch in The Office.

However, he said that with his role in The Witch, Eggers “took a leap of faith with an unknown British actor” and allowed him to showcase his versatility for darker roles.

It was also during filming of the 2015 horror that Eggers talked to Ineson about casting him in Nosferatu, a highly ambitious remake of FW Murnau’s 1922 classic and an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

The hotly-anticipated Nosferatu tells the gothic tale of obsession between a haunted young woman and the terrifying vampire infatuated with her causing untold horror in its wake.

Having also starred in The Northman, Ineson said it was a no-brainer to collaborate with Eggers for a third time on Nosferatu.

“Everybody has such a passion and craft to bring [Robert’s] historical accuracy and authenticity onto the screen that it’s a really intense but joyous place to be on a Robert Eggers film,” he said.

“Everybody is really driven to achieve this almost flawless recreation of 1838 Wisborg or 1640s New England, wherever it is.”

After The Witch, Ineson reunited with Eggers for The Northman – a Viking epic led by Alexander Skarsgård and Nicole Kidman. In the seven years between working on the two films, Eggers had gone from a promising filmmaker to one of the most respected and sought-after directors in Hollywood.

Despite the increased budget, the research and extreme detail that he puts into his projects remains the same.

Ineson remembers one specific example of this attention to detail that encapsulates Eggers as a director as when they were making the farmhouse in The Witch, the director found out that the circular saw wasn’t invented in the 1630s, so the house had to be hand cut.

“When that’s multiplied on to the scale of making four streets of Wisborg [Nosferatu] and for us all to have multiple outfits all handmade, it makes it so exciting but also so easy as an actor because everything is perfect and everybody puts so much care and work into every little detail that it’s exciting to put your little bit into the process,” added Ineson.

The actor portrays Dr Wilhelm Sievers, a hospital director in the German city of Wisborg who is sent to examine the possessed Ellen Hutter, excellently played by Lily-Rose Depp. Ineson was put in quite a unique position as he had 10 years to prepare for the role when the movie was delayed due to Eggers opting to film The Northman and The Lighthouse first.

“I had an unusually long time to prepare because [Robert] has been talking about this film for a long time. He drip-fed me little titbits over the years about what he wanted from my character so it was nice to have years to build the sense of who this guy was,” said Ineson.

Nosferatu has been a passion project for Eggers for decades, which stemmed from childhood memories of watching the 1922 classic on VHS. The tale inspired him creatively and in 2001 he directed a high school stage production of it.

He returned to the story in 2016 and at the time, he admitted that it felt “ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting for a filmmaker in my place to do Nosferatu next”.

There is a lot of pressure for any filmmaker to tackle Nosferatu as it is regarded as one of the most influential and celebrated horror movies of all time.

However, whilst paying homage to the 1922 original, Eggers had to bring his own unique perspective and distinct storytelling to create something fresh and original.

“[Robert] had to forget everything he knew about the cinematic language of vampires and Nosferatu and go back to researching the hell out of Transylvanian lore, rituals and accounts of vampires to bring an authenticity to what has been a set cinematic language,” said Ineson.

He believes that vampires continue to scare and captivate audiences because of the provocative “sexy side” and sensuality that they bring to the screen.

“I remember many times during the movie being vaguely turned on and then disgusted at myself as to why I was turned on. It treads the line between the sexual power of vampires and society's fear of the sexual power of young women,” added Ineson.

In an unsettling performance that lingers with the audience, an unrecognisable Bill Skarsgård portrays the titular vampire. As seen in Stephen King’s It as Pennywise the Clown, Skarsgård’s dedication to his craft is no secret but this is taken to new heights in Nosferatu.

Ineson was incredibly impressed as he witnessed the transformation from Skarsgård to Count Orlok.

“He looked incredible. You can’t physically smell him but it’s almost as if you can smell the decay off him. But he also looks strong and magnificent and powerful and noble all at the same time,” he said.

“As an audience member, you imagine they’d think it’s brilliant and terrifying. As an actor, who has worn big prosthetic outfits many times, a big part of my brain was sympathising with the amount of time he had to spend to achieve that.”

The movie features a stellar cast of Skarsgård, Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Aaron Taylor Johnson. It also stars Willem Dafoe, who Ineson declares is one of his acting heroes.

The pair shared many memorable moments together while filming Nosferatu but perhaps none more so than the scene alongside 2,000 rats.

“Two thousand rats running around vaguely confused as to why they are in a room with big lights contributes to a lot of rat urine and that really smells so it was quite an unpleasant evening from that point of view,” said Ineson.

“However, I was getting to do a scene with Nicholas Hoult and Willem Dafoe. Willem has been a hero of mine since I even contemplated acting as a career with Wild at Heart and Platoon.

"He’s always been a hero so getting to work as a double act with Willem was an absolute dream come true. I didn’t think about the rat urine as I was so excited to work with him.”

Ineson added that he is “eternally grateful” for Eggers and the impact that he has had on his career, which has led to him working with a number of incredibly talented filmmakers over the years.

This upwards trajectory continues into 2025 and beyond as Ineson is becoming one of the most in-demand actors in Hollywood and representing Yorkshire on a global scale.

Next up he will star in Guillermo Del Toro’s hotly-adaptation of Mary Shelley’s classic novel Frankenstein alongside Jacob Elordi, Mia Goth and Oscar Isaac. He also plays the villain Galactus in the upcoming Fantastic Four.

Nosferatu is in cinemas from January 1.