Nicholas Galitzine Is the King of Pretty Tears in Amazon’s Addicting Romance ‘The Idea of You’

Amazon Prime’s new swoon-y romantic drama, The Idea of You, has everything: Anne Hathaway looking hot as hell, genuine boy band bops sung by a fake boy band, and, most of all, Nicholas Galitzine looking very, very pretty while he cries.

Based on the 2017 novel of the same name by Robinne Lee—and not, in fact, Harry Styles fan fiction—The Idea of You stars Hathaway as a 40-year-old single mom who dutifully takes her 16-year-old daughter to Coachella to see her favorite boy band, August Moon. When she accidentally walks into the trailer of the 24-year-old frontman, Hayes Campbell (Galitzine), there are immediate sparks. Solène (Hathaway) insists she’s too old for him, but Hayes is persistent, and, eventually, their love story blooms.

But as Solène quickly discovers, dating a famous, twenty-something pop star as a 40-year-old professional can sometimes kind of suck. Like, for instance, when Solène hangs out with Hayes’s gossipy, spiteful twenty-something friends on tour. Those friends are all too happy to inform Solène that she’s not the first older woman to have Hayes Campbell dedicate a song to her. Solène politely excuses herself and then packs a bag to go home. When Hayes tries to stop her from leaving, they get into their first big fight.

Hayes argues that no one would care about the age difference if the gender roles were reversed. Solène responds that she knows many who would judge, actually—herself included. And it’s here that Galitzine flaunts his beautiful crying skills.

“You’re ashamed of me? Is that it?” Galitzine demands, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

“I am… ashamed,” Hathaway responds, with an equally devastating expression of pain. And that’s the moment where my heart broke into two.

Most people don’t look good when they cry. Quite a few of us look downright ugly when the waterworks turn on. But not Galitzine. This man knows how to look good while he cries like it’s his job—which, I suppose, it is. We’ve already seen him do it before, when he got his heartbroken as the Prince of England in Red, White, and Royal Blue, and when his character came out as bisexual in The Craft: Legacy. It really is an art: You have to look like you’re in devastating pain, while still maintaining enough composure to deliver clear dialogue, and look good while doing it. The man is talented!

And those tearful talents are once again on full display in The Idea of You, an addicting, heart-wrenching romance that hits all the deliciously painful beats of heartbreak. Did I feel a little bad for enjoying the scenes where Galitzine’s character was suffering quite so much? Sure! But that didn’t stop me from rewinding the film and replaying those pretty tears over and over again.

It should be noted that, Hathaway, too, is incredibly good at simply gazing at Galitzine in the movie—all of her big, conflicting emotions playing out on her expressive face. Come for the fanfcition-y plot, and stay for the electric chemistry and top-notch acting. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and you’ll be aching for these two unconventional lovebirds to make it work. Just don’t expect to look quite as good as Galitzine when you do cry.