Nicholas Hoult Says Clint Eastwood, 94, Has 'Sharp Wit' and Shared This Classic Lesson on “Juror #2 ”Set (Exclusive)

Nicholas Hoult learned a thing or two from director Clint Eastwood on the set of Juror #2.

Speaking with PEOPLE last month about his partnership with Heineken and the Formula 1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix, the English actor, 35, said what he "learned most" from working with Eastwood, 94, is "his ability to be very easy come and easy go about the art of creating."

"I think that's how it flows with him," Hoult continues. "And I think that's a wonderful thing to witness, because he's very calming, he's very laid back, and I think he trusts his audience and gives them space and respects their intelligence to give a story to breathe without spelling everything out for them."

The actor praises the "creative and talented" Eastwood's versatility as well, pointing out the fact that he has "done the score for many of his movies, so his movies have their own rhythm and pace to them because of his musicality."

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"He's just an incredibly talented and kind man," Hoult says. "I felt very fortunate to spend time with him and work with him. He's very funny. He's got a sharp wit, a dry sense of humor, and so that was also great because we would laugh a lot."

The Nosferatu actor also tells PEOPLE he asked Eastwood about acting, joking, "When you're in the presence of a greatness like that, it's like, 'I'll ask the dumb stupid question.' "

"I'll say like, 'Hey, how do you act? What do you do?' " Hoult adds. "And he said it's an emotional and instinctive art form. So don't think too much — just do."

Juror #2 is the latest cinematic effort for filmmaking veteran Eastwood. The legal thriller follows Hoult's character Justin Kemp, a family man who, "while serving as a juror in a high-profile murder trial, finds himself struggling with a serious moral dilemma, one he could use to sway the jury verdict and potentially convict — or free — the accused killer," per a synopsis.

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Aside from Hoult, the cast includes Toni Collette, Zoey Deutch, Kiefer Sutherland, Gabriel Basso, Leslie Bibb, Chris Messina and J.K. Simmons.

And as the director told PEOPLE in a statement back in October ahead of Juror #2's theatrical release, "We had a really great group of actors, led by Nicholas Hoult, who I was really impressed with — he is what I think a movie star is."

Of the film itself, Eastwood added, "It looks at the gray areas between the black and white of everyday circumstances and makes you decide for yourself."

Juror #2 is streaming on Max Dec. 20.

Read the original article on People