Why I’ve hated acting for years
BILL NIGHY
WITH a string of hit films and awards to his name, Bill Nighy is one of the best-known actors of his generation.
But the star has revealed that he almost quit the profession after becoming disillusioned. The Love Actually actor said: “I just hated it for years. I thought of quitting, if not daily then weekly. I was so unhappy.
“It’s not unpleasant all the time and you work with great people and I am proud of some of the things I’ve done. You get a degree of satisfaction when it’s over, but the actual process is never satisfactory.”
He said he decided to stick with acting because he couldn’t think of anything else to do.
“I flunked school. Not that that would prevent you from doing anything in life but I didn’t have any other ideas,” he added.
Despite his success, Nighy – who stars in Agatha Christie’s Ordeal By Innocence on BBC1 on Easter Sunday – does not always feel comfortable when on screen to this day.
He told Radio Times: “I was deeply self-conscious, which you are supposed to be. Every actor is self-conscious.”
Asked if he watched himself on television, the 68-year-old said: “No. I tried that when I was young and less complicated to look at and it was bloody awful. I was third bank robber in Softly, Softly [BBC1 1976].
“I was staying in digs with some people. They were all crowded in the front room and then I came on TV. I walked out, it was so terrible.”
Born in Caterham, Surrey, Nighy found international fame as rock legend Billy Mack in Love Actually in 2003. Other notable roles have included Davy Jones in the Pirates Of The Caribbean series and Viktor in the Underworld movies. But he also revealed that he had no fears about being typecast.
He explained: “Oh, I long to be typecast. You can do good work. Having said that, I had a great time being a squid in Pirates Of The Caribbean.”