Nicholas Hoult Reacts to Elon Musk’s Tesla Post Featuring His Role in The Current War

Actor Nicholas Hoult recently expressed his excitement on social media after Elon Musk shared a still from The Current War in a post celebrating Nikola Tesla. Musk, the CEO of Tesla, took to X (formerly Twitter) to discuss how his electric car company was named after the legendary inventor. However, instead of featuring the real Nikola Tesla, Musk shared an image of Hoult playing Tesla in the historical drama film.

"We named @Tesla after Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest engineers ever," Musk wrote in his December 27, 2024, post. The tweet was part of a broader discussion about immigrant contributions, sparked by debates among supporters of President-elect Donald Trump. Musk highlighted Tesla’s legacy as a “penniless immigrant” whose innovations in electricity helped shape modern America.

Nicholas Hoult, clearly thrilled by the recognition, responded with humor and gratitude. “Clearly a very convincing performance I gave here,” the Nosferatu actor wrote, referring to his portrayal of Tesla in The Current War.

Hoult’s depiction of the inventor has drawn praise, though he isn’t the only actor to bring Tesla to life on screen. David Bowie famously portrayed Tesla in Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige, while Ethan Hawke took on the role in the biographical film Tesla.

Directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and produced by Martin Scorsese, The Current War explores the battle of ideas between Nikola Tesla, Thomas Edison (played by Benedict Cumberbatch), and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon). The film dives into the competition over alternating current (AC) versus direct current (DC) electricity, a pivotal moment in technological history.