Nicholas Hoult has revealed how he enjoyed playing a morally corrupt A&R man in Kill Your Friends.

The X-Men star takes on the role of ruthless character Steven Stelfox in the big-screen adaptation of John Niven’s satirical 2008 novel.

“He’s basically scared of being normal and being a member of the general public. He sees himself as being elite and at the top of life,” he explained.

“He’s a very odd character but John Niven’s writing is very funny, twisted and dark. I thought it was very funny – the script made me laugh – and I enjoyed this little foray into the music industry.”

Nicholas, who starred in 2009′s A Single Man, and Warm Bodies and Jack The Giant Slayer in 2013, revealed how he “fought” for the role of JD Salinger.

The X-Men star is to portray the young Catcher In The Rye author in Danny Strong’s biopic, Rebel In The Rye.

He said: “That one I did fight for and chase, but that’s right. If you want to play something, you’ve got to prove that you can do it.

“I think sometimes it’s weird when you get cast in something but you don’t even know whether you can play that character. That’s an odd thing, turning up on set on the first day and you’re like, ‘I don’t know whether my vision of this character is going to be what they expected’.”

Kill Your Friends opens in UK cinemas on November 6.