Nicholas Hoult Dated Jennifer Lawrence – But Insists He's No Heartthrob

By Lesley Messer

02/28/2013 at 10:05 AM EST

Sure, he dated Hollywood "It" Girl Jennifer Lawrence for two years and has girls around the world drooling over him. But Nicholas Hoult still only sees himself as a regular guy.

"I don't think I'm really a heartthrob," says Hoult, 23, who is currently starring in the new film, Jack the Giant Slayer, opening Friday. "I'm pretty lanky and goofy looking! But it's very flattering and that's very nice if anyone does see me as being attractive."

The actor made his first mark as a child in the Hugh Grant film About a Boy. In fact, he's still recognized for that role (one reviewer accidentally referred to him as "Marcus Brewer," his character's name).

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So Hoult has tried to pick different types of roles – like his recent role in the zombie flick Warm Bodies – to diversify a bit.

Despite his growing fame, "I don't really get recognized that much," he says. "I guess I look different without a lot of makeup on."