Jamie Campbell Bower, star of 'Horizon: An American Saga,' gave ET his reaction to being named as part of the 'Rat Boy Summer' trend.
Jamie Campbell Bower says he is proud to be a trailblazer of "Rat Boy Summer."
Sitting down with ET's Cassie DiLaura to talk about his new film, Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1, the 35-year-old Stranger Things actor responded to those who have dubbed him one of the founding members of the latest Hollywood 'It Boy' trend. The movement -- also referred to as "Rodent Boy Summer" -- is all about fans thirsting over actors who they believe resemble hot vermin. Chief among the trendsetters are Challengers actors Josh O'Connor and Mike Faist, The 1975 frontman Matty Healy and Dune star Timothée Chalamet.
For Bower -- who spoke with ET alongside Horizon co-star Abbey Lee -- he not only is a proud member of the "rat boy" or "rodent boy" community, but an unflinching originator as he has been in the game for nearly two decades.
"I've been there since the beginning, I'm not going anywhere," Bower joked.
Let's take a step back and explain the situation a little further. Earlier this month, Bower was on the receiving end of a tweet that shared photos of the actor from several of his films, referencing how he is one of the first examples of the trend in the media.
"I only wish Jamie Campbell Bower was here for the rat boy renaissance, he deserved it more than anyone #hotrodentmen," the fan wrote in the message that was viewed by more than 240,000 people, including the Twilight franchise actor.
Bower, who sparingly uses his account on the social media site, responded to the tweet, "Girl I ain't dead." Within minutes, the original poster replied, "JCB supremacy let's go king," to which Bower retorted, "Just gotta dust myself off from sleeping in this coffin."
While Bower's initial reaction when asked by ET was "kill me," he went on to explain the situation to Lee, 37, with a good sense of humor.
"There's this thing, it's called like 'Hot Rat Boy Summer' or something [...] you know -- it's like Matty Healy and all these guys," he said. "But somebody had written on Twitter, 'Oh, I wish Jamie Bower was still here for hot rat boy summer, he really deserves this,' and I was like, 'Girl, I'm still here.'"
Bower told ET of the title, "How do I feel about it? You can't stop the internet. I'm grateful, I'm super grateful."
In reality, for both Bower and Lee, it's a Horizon summer as they prepare for the release of Chapter 1 on June 28 and Chapter 2 on Aug. 16. The project -- which is co-written, directed by and starring Kevin Costner -- is three decades in the making and is the 71-year-old Field of Dreams actor's magnum opus by all accounts.
The epic Western project took Costner three decades to make and will release in four parts. Also starring in the film series are actors like Sienna Miller, Luke Wilson, Jena Malone, Sam Worthington and Costner's own son, Hayes, 15.
All four parts take place across a timespan of 15 years in pre and post-Civil War United States and tell a story primarily focused on the "expansion and settlement of the American west," according to a synopsis for the movies.
As for how they worked with the Dances With Wolves director, Bower and Lee -- who play Caleb Sykes and Marigold, respectively -- said they were honored to work with the firm but kind leader.
"He’s a very powerful man, he has a lot of energy – he has a lot of commanding energy, he's a very strong leader. I think that’s really important on a set of this scope -- of this size," Lee shared. "You need to be a man who really stands his ground but he's not just that person, he’s also really gentle and generous."
"Yeah, generous with his heart and his mind and his gifts," Bower shared. "He gives trust and he makes you – makes you want to step up."
They say they cannot wait for audiences to finally see the project that has captured their hearts and their minds.
"I think we all feel this great level of excitement and pride and we're all behind and with Kevin, and that’s how we felt whilst making this," Bower shared. "And it's how we feel now -- we are elated to be able to present it now, it's very cool."
Lee, who was in attendance when the movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May and received a startling 11-minute standing ovation, agreed, adding that she too could not be more honored to be part of this epic saga with the legendary actor and filmmaker.
"I got to witness being in a room of people applauding Kevin and him getting so emotional about it," she shared. "At this point -- being so close to this work with Kevin because he's so immersed in it and he's given everything to it -- I mean, he's just thrown himself at it so you just feel like you’re a part of this journey."
Horizon: An American Saga - Chapter 1 releases in theaters on June 28.
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