Although British actor Bill Nighy has made a name for himself as a respected and successful performer, the 74-year-old recently revealed that he originally wanted to be a rock and roll star.
In a recent conversation with BBC Radio, Nighy, who cites Frank Sinatra, Van Morrison and Bob Dylan as some of his favourite musicians, reflected on the significant role music has played in his life.
“I listen to music all of the time. It’s constant,” he said.
“I wanted to be in The Rolling Stones. I wanted to be a rock and roll star, frankly, but it was never going to happen.”
Nighy got a taste of the rock and roll lifestyle when he played washed-up musician Billy Mack in the hit romantic comedy Love Actually. Although his character exudes bravado and confidence, Nighy admits that he doesn’t share the same self-assuredness in real life.
“My nickname was nervous. There are still people alive who will call me Nerv,” he revealed.
“I felt nervous before we started filming, during rehearsals, when we started filming, most of the way through filming, all the time, actually.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Nighy confessed that he struggles to watch his own performances.
“I see all the compromises, all the moments of cowardice, the default things I do when I can’t pull something off,” he said.
“It’s upsetting. It’s always so far short of what you had in mind. Because somehow, what you had in mind is never translated into action.
“[Watching it back] would make you learn nothing except that you must give it up and do something else for a living.”
-with BANG.