Trivia

Was approached for the role of Christian Grey in Fifty Shades of Grey (2015). Schoenaerts said that he fell asleep while reading the script and his agent told him to stay out of it.

Has appeared in Belgian, Dutch, French, American, British, and Italian films, in which he speaks Dutch, French, English, and German.

Marion Cotillard revealed that her her scenes with Matthias in Rust and Bone (2012) were the first and only time that she liked filming sex scenes.

Is a graffiti artist under the pseudonym "Zenith".

Turned down the role of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016). During an interview on the Dutch TV show "24 uur met" in February 2016, Schoenaerts said that he felt he was too young to play Batman in his mid-40's. Schoenaerts was 35 years old when he was offered the role.

Played the piano when he was a kid, so he had a little basis for his role in Suite Française (2014), but he wanted to learn how to play for real in the film. Schoenaerts also learned to speak German for his role as German soldier Bruno von Falk.

Is a fan of Daniel Day-Lewis, Simone Signoret, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Joaquin Phoenix.

Played the same character in two different languages (Flemish and English), first in the Belgian film Loft (2008) and years later in the American remake The Loft (2014) - it was also his first English-speaking role.

Was named a Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters in France on 28 July. This distinction is awarded by the French Ministry of Culture to people "who have distinguished themselves by their creativity in the artistic or literary field or the contribution they have made to the influence of the arts and literature in France and in the world". (2015)

Initially, he didn't want to accept the role of a Nazi officer in Suite Française (2014) because he had moral issues with the character, but he changed his mind after reading the book in which the movie is based and he thought, "If the writer loves the character so much, then I have to allow myself to love him as well".

Was raised both by his mother in Antwerp and his grandmother in Brussels; his mother never married his father, who died in 2006. His mother died in 2016.

Carey Mulligan suggested him for the role of Gabriel Oak in Far from the Madding Crowd (2015) after having seen him in Rust and Bone (2012).

As of 2015, has appeared in three films that have been nominated for an Academy Award: Daens (1992) (Best Foreign Language Film), Bullhead (2011) (Best Foreign Language Film), and Death of a Shadow (2012) (Best Live Action Short Film).

After starring together in Rust and Bone (2012), Marion Cotillard recommended him for a role in her boyfriend Guillaume Canet's directorial debut in Hollywood, Blood Ties (2013). Canet said that he chose Schoenaerts after hearing Cotillard praising him several times.

Slept only two hours at night while shooting Disorder (2015) and ended up in a hospital.

Spent a year in film school but was kicked out for poor attendance.

On September 28th, a little after 5PM (local time), a fire broke out in his apartment. Schoenaerts was home at the time and, although the apartment was severely damaged, he was able to get out unharmed. The apartment was declared uninhabitable. One fireman and one resident of the other apartment suffered minor injuries.

He loves to paint, play soccer, box, and is also a fan of architecture.

Son of actor Julien Schoenaerts and costume designer/translator/French teacher Dominique Wiche.

Is the co-owner of Hakuna Casting, a Belgian casting agency which stands for diversity and fights against the under-representation of people of color and foreign origin on the screen and wants to bring diversity into commercials, video clips, and films. The agency has collaborated on the casting of films like Black (2015) and Belgica (2016).

Face of Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer campaign. (2014)

Has an older half-brother, Bruno Schoenaerts (born 1953), a lawyer, and two deceased half-sisters, Helga Schoenaerts (1961-1982, suicide) and Sarah Schoenaerts (1955-2014, cancer).

Filmed four movies in 2013: A Little Chaos (2014), The Drop (2014), Suite Française (2014), and Far from the Madding Crowd (2015).

Wants to work with directors David Lynch, Darren Aronofsky, Michael Mann, Paul Thomas Anderson, Derek Cianfrance, Gus Van Sant, and Fatih Akin.

Is a fan of Breaking Bad (2008), The Wire (2002), and The A-Team (1983).

Was close to becoming a professional soccer player and was on the books of Antwerp team Beerschot AC, but gave up when he was 16. He appears in the documentary Antwerp - The City Game (2014) playing soccer with kids in the same place in Antwerpen-Zuid where he used to play when he was a kid.

Was originally cast as Leo Woeste in Waste Land (2014) but dropped out. Jérémie Renier was cast instead.

Uncle of Ellen Schoenaerts.

Appeared in two films with his father, Julien Schoenaerts: Daens (1992) and Ellektra (2004); the latter is the only film in which they shared scenes together.

Ranked on TC Candler's annual list of "The 100 Most Handsome Faces From Around the World" for four consecutive years. He was ranked #30 in 2016, #21 in 2015, #9 in 2014 and #42 in 2013.

Shares an agent, Hylda Queally, with former co-stars Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Noomi Rapace.

Was in talks to play the male lead in Tulip Fever (2017), but turned it down and was replaced by Dane DeHaan.

His father Julien Schoenaerts was named "the Marlon Brando of Flanders". Since he starred in Bullhead (2011) and Rust and Bone (2012), Matthias has been called "the Belgian Brando".

Jodie Foster has expressed her desire to work with Schoenaerts during a Q&A at the Tribeca Film Festival. (2016)

Stated that if he could be anything in the world other than what he is, he would be an architect.

The New York Times described him as "the most versatile beefcake actor of our time". (2012)

Spent most of his childhood at a boarding school. Was sent to a boarding school for the first time at five years old.

Named as one of European films' Shooting Stars by European Film Promotion. (2003)

Featured in W Magazine's portfolio of the Best Performances of 2012 for his performance in Rust and Bone (2012). (February 2013)

A Bigger Splash (2015) marks the first time that he played a Belgian character in a non-Belgian and non-French production. The last time that he had played a Belgian character prior to this film was in Rust and Bone (2012). In the meantime, he played American, British, German, French, and Danish characters.

Is often compared to Ryan Gosling. During an interview in 2013, Gosling told that Schoenaerts is an incredible actor and that he hopes he get to work with him. Schoenaerts told Vancouver Sun in 2015 that he's interested in doing a project with Gosling; they also have a friend in common, Nico Leunen.

First Belgian male actor to win a César award and one of five Belgian actors overall to win the award. The others are Natacha Régnier, Cécile de France, Yolande Moreau, and Déborah François.

Has dubbed in French most of his English-language roles.

Was mentioned in a Sony leaked email as a casting option for the role of Vosch in The 5th Wave (2016). He was also mentioned in an untitled superhero film.

Graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in Antwerp. (2003)

Had to cultivate 27 kilograms of muscle mass to apply himself to the role of Jacky Vanmarsenille in Bullhead (2011); he prepped for the role for two years, committing to a diet of 3,000 tins of tuna, several hundred chickens, and plenty of oats, rice, and pasta, combined with an exhaustive weightlifting regimen. In addition, he also studied the Limburgish dialect to ensure he was performing with authenticity, so he wouldn't offend the natives. He also wore a prosthetic nose.

Starred in four period pieces that were released in 2015: Suite Française (2014), A Little Chaos (2014) Far from the Madding Crowd (2015), and The Danish Girl (2015).

Was director Jan Verheyen's first choice to play Dieter in Alias (2002), but Schoenaerts' drama school refused to give him time off to star in the movie, so the part went to second choice Geert Hunaerts.

Was originally cast as the male lead in Alive Alone but dropped out. Idris Elba replaced him. He gave the script to Noomi Rapace while they were shooting The Drop (2014).

Had two films in the official competition at the 2015 Venice Film Festival: A Bigger Splash (2015) and The Danish Girl (2015).