Ralph Fiennes was 'very intimidating' on 'The Menu' set, says Nicholas Hoult (exclusive)

Watch: Nicholas Hoult and Anya Taylor-Joy on working with Ralph Fiennes

Nicholas Hoult found Ralph Fiennes a 'very intimidating' presence while filming The Menu, while co-star Anya Taylor-Joy felt strangely comfortable around the actor.

Fiennes leads the cast of director Mark Mylod's thriller as celebrity chef Julian Slowik, who has lured wealthy clients to his island restaurant for an unconventional, sinister evening of high-end cuisine.

Hoult is pretentious foodie Tyler, who has brought along the straight-talking Margot (Taylor-Joy) rather than the guest he had originally booked to bring with him.

Read more: Nicholas Hoult auditioned for Game of Thrones

The former Skins star told Yahoo UK that Fiennes was 'eerily scary' on the set when the cameras were rolling.

Hoult said: "Out of 10, he's got to be up there at a 10, I would say. It's very intimidating in that environment that he created.

"You do very much feel like you've entered his world when you enter that set of Hawthorne. But also, at the same time, Ralph is so lovely and warm and charming.

Read more: Nicholas Hoult discusses difficulties of The Favourite costume

"It's like — character is terrifying and 10 in those moments, but also there's a little piece of you in the back of your mind that goes 'it's lovely Ralph', so maybe nine and a half."

Taylor-Joy, however, said her experience was slightly different — and involved the lifelong Harry Potter fan keeping her Voldemort-based excitement under wraps.

"In terms of him being a phenomenal actor and having incredible presence, anything that he wants to project he will nail it 10 out of 10," said Taylor-Joy.

She added: "I have a bizarre fascination with not only actual monsters, but just people who are kind of on the fringes of society.

Read more: Anya Taylor-Joy on making Last Night in Soho

"I adore Ralph and I found all of our scenes weirdly comforting, so I'm gonna give him like a two or a three [out of 10 for scariness].

"I just feel really comfortable with him. He's one of the few people who I can just sit [with] in a room in complete silence and be like: 'I'm good... amazing'."

The Menu follows Fiennes' chef as his mischievous culinary creations take dark twists, with the film operating as a satire taking swipes at the lack of consequences for the wealthy.

As well as Fiennes, Hoult and Taylor-Joy, the cast includes Hong Chau as Fiennes' right-hand woman, with Janet McTeer, John Leguizamo and Arturo Castro among the guests invited for the unique evening.

Read more: Ralph Fiennes discusses action role in The King's Man

The film premiered to strong reviews from critics at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, with 88% of critics on aggregator Rotten Tomatoes providing a positive review.

The Menu is in UK cinemas from 18 November.

Watch: Trailer for restaurant-set thriller The Menu