Two hunky leading men fighting over a strong female lead in a fantastical epic story dreamed up by none other than the bestselling Stephenie Meyer. Yep, The Host has all the makings of becoming the next Twilight-sized hit.
In this exclusive video, the two men in the The Host‘s love triangle are introduced: Max Irons and Jake Abel. The actors play human rebels Jared and Ian, both of whom fall for Wanda (Saoirse Ronan), a human who resists the alien force that is trying to take over her body (in the sci-fi movie, body snatchers from outer space have invaded Earth).
While much has been written about the parallels between The Host‘s three’s-a-crowd love story and that of Twilight‘s, what was apparent at the movie’s premiere on March 19 in Hollywood was the two male stars’ real-life bromance.
Irons told Us at the event that he was often on the receiving end of Abel’s on-set pranks. “I was a victim to Jake’s practical jokes. He’s unstoppable. He’s out of control,” the 27-year-old shared. “I have a phobia of insects, so he announced to his, I don’t know, 20,000 Twitter followers that I have a real phobia of insects. We had a book signing the other day, and there were various people that would turn up and throw insects at me. Real ones, plastic ones, and gummy insects!”
“Max has become a pretty close friend of mine,” Abel, 25, told reporters at a press conference in L.A. on March 16. “Apparently he was really nervous to meet me, he said — and I could tell. The first couple of times we hung out, I was like ‘What’s wrong with this guy? Just hang out with me!’ I was trying to call him to hang out, but, yeah, we have a very similar sense of humor and we end up getting on.”
For much, much more about The Host and its stars (including never-seen photos and gorgeous tear-out posters) check out the collector’s edition of Us Weekly Special: The Host, available at Barnes & Noble online and at bookstores.
