The BILL NIGHY Experience

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Ulrike, the official BILL NIGHY Experience's webmaster was recently granted the honor of interviewing Bill Nighy on the phone. Many thanks to Bill for taking the time, I know how busy you are. Now, dear guests, here is the result, the text of the interview. Enjoy!
 

 When you’re getting a script for a film or a play while reading it for the first time: Do you already get an idea of how the character will be? Describe us the process of creating.

         Yes I do. I usually have some idea of how the character will be just by reading it. I’m often then surprised by the director or the writer who may have a different view. But generally speaking, if the writing is good then the character is clear.

 Do the characters change a lot in the process you’re reading it for the first time until the first time on the set?

          Yes, probably. Depending on what the director thinks and the writer thinks and, yes, it’s the minutiae of the script, the phenomenon of doing it over and over informs you’ll finally deliver the part. Although you have to take account of how general anxiety ar aprehension or just adrenaline will alter your performance. Because that is a factor. When you’re starting a job everything is slightly heightened by the experience of  beginning the engagement. And also the other thing is – when in first contact with your fellow actors, that also will to some degree inform or govern the way you play your part.

  Can you think of a single character that changed the most while you were working on it?

          I think probably it would be a stage character. Because on film you have very little rehearsal. Weirdly, films which cost enormous amounts of money to make are kind of reckless ventures, generally speaking, and specifically when it comes to the acting, because they don’t have extra money quite often for rehearsal of any kind. There is no tradition of rehearsal beforehand. The people assemble on the set, and you have some kind of rehearsal but not a great deal. Just in terms of geography on the set, the practicabilities of dealing with whatever props or cars or trees or horses or whatever it is you have to deal with. Those kind of things are gone over. But in terms of acting rehearsal you don’t get a great deal. With a theatre part - when you read through at the beginning of your job, it’s what they call a read-through, where they all just read it for the first time out loud to one another, the difference between that and what subsequently happens on stage is extreme, usually, because of weeks of rehearsal. And by the time I hit the stage, by the time you’ve got an audience, and the adrenaline is introduced into your system, you get a hopefully much more satisfying and energized performance.

 When you mentioned stage characters - I understand that you’re still suffering from immense stage fright.

          I’m touching wood now because you said stage fright. I’m touching my head, it’s made of wood. No, I don’t get stage fright. I get the wind up as we say in my country. It’s scary opening plays, it’s not really stage fright, stage fright is an expression – the way you use it yes I do – it’s frightening. To go on stage to open a play for the first time, for the first few performances, through the press nights and then for the first few performances after that, it is extremely agitating. But then it eases up as you’re in the run, hopefully the thing has gone well and if the show is still good, when everything works, you can go on and just get on with it. But it’s the opening which is the tricky part, when there’s no precedence for what you have to do, and if you have a healthy paranoia, which I do, it’s rich picking for the aliens, for the voice in your head that says ‘’are you sure you gonna do this?’’ – you know that voice? – that voice goes into overdrive and you have to operate whilst listening to the voice. You have to do things despite whatever your head might tell you. For any actor it’s a scary time. And a great relief when it’s over. The thing is, you imagine when you’re younger, it’s going to get better. And old people are kind enough not to put you straight. Not only does it not get better, I think it probably gets worse. Your expectations of yourself and other people’s expectations are greater. The stakes are higher.

 In an interview you mentioned some sort of other universe you’re entering for acting. I think that’s a little about the phenomenon of stage fright, too?

          It’s a sort of joke that I have used. But it’s also true. I think It’s not a very good joke, but it’s funny because it’s true.  The expression I’ve used is that I, instead of having a process. Wht I in fact do is I invent a hostile parallel universe and I live in it for a while. And in the hostile parallel universe I’m usually about to get fired It’s not uncommon. You’d be surprised. The idea that actors are more comfortable about appearing in public than people who aren’t actors is a misunderstanding. Actors for the most part have exactly the same reaction to the prospect of appearing in public and being the only ones to speak as does anyone else, which is pretty much ‘can I go home now?’, ’could you call me a cab?’ or words to that effect, you know? So it’s not just me. A lot of people do have similar experiences.Acting is what you do after you get the wind up. You know, in my universe there are a lot of people that are probably more justified or just in better shape.

 Does that mean you’re experiencing every role on stage or in film in a totally different way, in different hostile universes?

         That’s only for the first bit. This is only when you’re opening plays. Opening plays is the scary bit. they don’t then continue to be scary. I mean they are quite scary because you’re in public and things can go wrong. Once you’re open you’re fine. Once you’ve got the first bit of filming over and you haven’t got the sack, things are fine, then you go to work. But it’s the beginnings of things. Because it’s a leap of faith , you know, imagine this,. Imagine walking onto a set and everyone shuts up and then somebody says ‘action’. And then everyone looks at you. How would that make you feel?

 I’m not sure. I think it would make me feel...

          It would make you feel frightened, wouldn’t it?

 Yes, you’re right.

          That’s how acting is. Actors feel just like you would. They feel exactly the same. At least I do.

 I have some sort of idea I think, but a school’s drama group is not really the connection...

         It’s a big difference when you’re getting paid for. That changes everything. You know, they gonna give you money for it.

 Does the amount of money make any difference?

          It’s the experience. The fact that you are a professional and not an amateur, so the responsibility is greater.

 So it’s about professionalism, not about money.

          It’s your life. If it’s your living, the responsibility to deliver, it’s obviously different from someone who does it as a hobby. Your livelyhood will depend on it. Your life, your family, everything depends upon how you’re doing.

 I assume that when the camera’s off or when you leave the stage that you turn from the character into Bill again within a few seconds or minutes...

          I don’t really know what ’character’ means. It’s not an altered state for me, it’s not a trance. I don’t really know what people mean when they say ‘in character’. I’m at work. I don’t know pretending. It’s not psychiatric. Not for me. Maybe it’s for some people, I’m sure it might be for some people. Most people I know, yes. I’ve never worked with an actor who became someone else. I don’t know what the expression means ‘becoming someone else’. I mean it’s not psychologically impossible, I don’t think. Maybe there are people who do it, I don’t know. Every actor I’ve ever worked with is of course the same  person once the camera stopped rolling as they are the time while the camera is rolling. They haven’t changed in any way. It’s only tricks. And a bit of feeling. But mostly just tricks. I don’t know what ‘in character’ means, cause I’ve never been in character. I’ve been at work acting. You don’t change in any way.

 So you never had the urge to bite someone when you were Viktor (Underworld)?

          No. A very good example. I never wanted to drink blood, even when I had my fangs in.

 Just imagine: You’d have to be one of your characters you’ve played for 24 hours. Which one would you prefer, which one do you think would you have the best day? What would you do?

          The one that would let me have the best day, for a reasonably good day it would be Billy Mack (Love Actually). That would probably be called a good day out. The one that would be closest to my heart would be from ‘’The Girl In the Cafe’’, it would be Lawrence. That would be the one I would probably most comfortably slip into. But if you wanted a good time or a good day out, I think, Billy Mack’s your man.

 We’ve just talked about identification with a role. That’s something a lot of fans do, identify their favourite actor with a special role. I think that’s something you don’t really want. Could you imagine any role you could live with if people would totally identify you with? The one you wouldn’t feel too uncomfortable with when people would run to you on the street, yelling always the same role’s name.

          Well, it wouldn’t be Davy Jones (Pirates of The Caribbean), that’s for sure. I think probably Lawrence from ‘The Girl in The Cafe’. But I somehow don’t think people would run down the street yelling ‘Lawrence, Lawrence!’.

 Not the classical fan girls, I think.

          I quite liked playing Cameron in ‘State of Play’. A role that gave me a lot of fun that I very much enjoyed was playing the Earl of Clincham in ‘The Young Visiters’. I wish that film was more seen. Jim Broadbent, who’s an old friend of mine, whom I’m very very fond of, he and I started out together. We’ve known each others all our lifes. We never worked together for about 25 years, and it was extremely pleasurable to work with him. He executively produced 'The Young Visiters'. Acting with him was extremely satisfying and very very funny. We were playing kind of comedy tennis. And I really did enjoy the Earl of Clincham. In fact I wouldn’t mind being the Earl of Clincham. I think, the Earl of Clincham had a pretty good life. Sort of nuts and deluded in a perfectly cheerful way. And he lived at Court. I mostly liked that I got to have a fringe, that means the hair that falls down over your eyes. I always wanted a fringe, but I never had the right hair. I got to have a hair piece what they call ’curtains’. You know when boys have a fringe in front of their eyes with just a little gap like a curtain. It was a fashion for a while. So I got some sort of ancient curtains and got to shake my fringe. I’ve always wanted to shake my fringe. We just had  good fun. I wouldn’t mind people running down the street shouthing ‘’Clincham Clincham!’’

 Next time we’ll meet I’ll do that for you. So would you say a mix of  Lawrence, Billy Mack and Clincham would be your perfect role?

          That would be a very good part for me, that would be a very good mix. Clincham and Lawrence and Billy Mack and Ray Simms in Still Crazy. I do know what people mean when they say ‘in character’, but you don’t have to come out of character, it’s not like some big psychological journey.  You don’t have to wrench yourself back into reality or anything, you just stop acting. But those four parts and another... When it’s going well you get a sense in your body and your voice and in your mind that are kind of rich, as they say in musical terms. You get into a groove and you can comfortably slip into the groove because of whatever it is, the vocal mannerism or the physical mannerism. You have kind of a map. You have sign posts. You feel comfortably in it, because it all hangs together as a kind of whole. I think in all of those I was supposed to be amusing, funny. The sense of trying to be amusing, when you are committed to that part of your job , which I do like, that’s the favourite part of my job, when it involves comedy, that gives you something, that gives you a feeling, I can’t really explain it. You get into a rhythm, when you’re guided by what you think might be funny along the way. It gives you a direction.

 We’ve talked a lot about roles and characters you liked or would like. Is there any kind of role or character you’d turn down?

          I wouldn’t want to play a serial killer. I don’t really want to play a murderer. But you know, it could be a funny murderer, then I’d play it. If it would be a comedy murderer. I can’t think of anything I wouldn’t want to do.

 Let’s talk a little more about dislikes, in a positive way. In Gideon’s Daughter you had to hold a guinea pig and you looked major uncomfortable. Did you really feel uncomfortable?

          I was fine. I was very fine with the guinea pig. I had to pretend to be uncomfortable.

 Would there be any animals that would be an absolute ‘No’ to hold like spiders, snakes, frogs or whatever?

          No, I think I’d hold any animal, really. I want to be paid quite a lot of money for holding a snake. I’d like money to be good for that one, cause I wouldn’t be very keen on that thing. Frogs would be alright. Spiders... eeeeeewwwwwaaahhh. Frogs and snakes, that would be ok. Not mad on frogs, but I would hold one.  

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