Bill Nighy Breaks Down His Most Iconic Characters | British GQ 

Which is _insane_ when you think of it - Gollum - in TLotR - The Two Towers (2002), barely 4 years before, not as convincing at all - Davy Jones - PotC - Dead Man's Chest (2006) - the most convincing fully CGI character still - Thanos - Avengers: Infinity War (2018) - 12 years later, and he's on par, although Davy Jones still has the lead because he's moist/wet and is still extremely convincing - life like!

@@ProtoMarcus Scratch Thanos from that list and replace him with Ceasar from War for the Planet of the Apes, and I'd agree.

@@ProtoMarcus He may not be a human, but let's not forget Smaug.

@@ProtoMarcus General Grievous from Star Wars was honestly pretty good-looking considering they had to make him fight with four arms.

@@Ngamotu83 stretch Gollum off the list, not Thanos, for Caesar. Gollum’s CGI has begun to show its age. There’s no way he looks better than Thanos (that’s not an opinion).

"One of the first things you notice about Bill Nighy is his hands. He suffers from Dupuytren's contracture, a condition that causes some of his fingers to bend in towards the palm, which can make shaking hands with fans difficult"

@@Aratimb good to know.

@@Aratimb My dad had a similar condition, he was always inadvertently flipping off the family, or maybe it was on purpose :D

Underrated comment.

And yet, we all enjoy being flipped at by Bill

He's absolutely hysterical. I would listen to him telling stories for hours. That sense of humour is amazing.

It's pretty in your face so it'd be hard to "go over anyone's heads". He's cheeky and I adore it, but anyone can understand his humor. It's not some super secret "English humor" though haha

humorous him flipping us all 📴throughout the interview

I watched that again today, brilliant scene.

brilliant scene. him and tom curran stole the show!

Loved that

Love love ! LOVE❗️ that short very visceral scene !

Yes! That was my favorite moment in that entire season!

Absolutely brilliant

Added so much to the movie, genuinely. The whole series of movies wouldn't come close with a different actor being Davy Jones. Perfect villain.

That moment before shouting "Spaaaaaroooowwwwww!!"

I love him in all his British films 🎥. ❤😘

His performance made both of those characters iconic.

He's Hilarious as EMMA's Father!

He also plays an astounding Samwise in BBC Radio Dramatization of The Lord of the Rings.

@@aretnap3653 You can listen to Bill Nighy on BBC SOUNDS 4 EXTRA in lots of stuff, top of the lot, as the curmudgeon actor/would be Poirot, the v FAMED Charles Paris Mysteries, w other fab voice actors. A Doubtful Death is available for over a year.

My top 3 favorite as well plus Ian Mcshane

Exactly, so many people only praise Johnny when Geoffrey and Bill are just as amazing .Barbossa is still my favorite character of this franchise because he's fun , he's a badass and he had character development also Geoffrey Rush i wouldn'tbe surprised if he was a pirate in a former life . Davy Jones is just a fantastic villain with a sad backstory that makes him really sympathetic than he is played by Bill Nighy who's mannerisms and facial expressions are just amazing and on top of that the mind blowing CGI that still holds up . Johnny of course is the face of this franchise, he created such a unique character it's impossible for him to be replaced, he's funny , he's cool, he always has one liners that are very quotable. My problem with Jack is that he always stays the same as i said Barbossa got character development and an arc ( i know some people don't like that he has a daughter in the last movie but for me it was a great emotional scene when we find out who Carina is and than that he sacrifices himself to save her so we see him as a villain than an ally a friends and a hero in the end) i just don't like that they gave Jack nothing like this in any of the movies

That’s also not to say the rest of the cast was bad. Far from it actually. Really liked how Will was thrown in all these weird situations and just rolls with it, especially in Curse of the Black Pearl.

It seems like he's one for dressing nicely all the time and taking pride in his appearance so I could definitely see walking around in silly looking pjs with white balls on them, and with street shoes on, could make him feel uncomfortable after a bit since he was the only one in that sort of outfit and he's was already one of the only non Americans on set. That said, I appreciated the role so much when I saw the movie in my teens, but watching this interview as adult and having gotten to know more about bill nighy since then, it's truly incredible work how he transformed his voice and speech patten and such. Like DUDE he's amazing.

It was dry humor, I believe. Though being miserable during the acting of a miserable character, does tend to boost performance.

He wasn't "miserable". It just was difficult like any job can be

You do see in the picture that the supporting cast who played the Davy Jones' crew also wore the same tracking outfits

Fr and if anything I think the struggle helped to add to the character, I mean Davey jones us a somber, depressed, and constantly suffering character

He’s my absolute favorite of this franchise!

@@JTPMalavet agreed. I love how they made him scorned by a lover who promised their devotion but when the time came they weren’t there. Feeling betrayed he locked away his heart literally and metaphorically. Great writing

The CGI is insane for being what, 16 years old??? Like, Davy Jones looks amazing to this day.

@@higglybiggly1174 and now we have She-hulk 😂

@@PowuhToSeven huh??? Fr??

One of his finest movies!

Ugh SAME 😭

He is self-deprecating throughout this segment. I think it's a bit. I am sure he had a spiffy time on Pirates. He certainly turned in an absolute stellar performance, despite feeling goofy in tights and white spots!

he's just making a laugh out of the silly situation he found himself to be in because of the costume. it's dry humor, which comes across as serious to some people :D

ONE OF THE GREATEST ACTING PERFORMANCES IVE SEEN.

Well think about it from the actor's point of view, you are hired to play a part in a big pirate movie franchise, so you expect to wear some cool looking pirate outfit and maybe make up, but instead they put you into pajamas and white dots. Not very pirate-like is it? I honestly undestand him.

It's just British humor...

I really like him in Shaun of the Dead as well

Especially if you have ever been a cop. They can y’know… the Chiefs

You’re making us all look bad

Kept waiting for Hot Fuzz and Shaun of the Dead to pop up on the list!

His little nose wrinkle thing after saying that is genuinely terrifying

It's on his vanity fair interview look it up

What luck! He is my favourite actor. (I'm quite jealous, actually 😉)

How wonderful!

As an ex waiter, things like this do happen, just right place right time.

he sounds like the generous-hearted gentleman we always pictured him to be. And you sound pretty swell too!

That couldn't have been a better choice to just treat him as a human rather then a celebrity

🤣

As he said: "It got me into America." Grand image for us Americans... just because there are so many of us & so much $$. Sadly 😥

I believe that's arthritis sadly

@@ThePauseMenuVlog I think it is a Dupuytren's contracture.

@@ThePauseMenuVlog May be right.

My favourite episode

When I tell you I was furious he wasn’t cast as the Doctor after Tennant! I love his work.

ooohhh I thought I recognized him from Doctor Who but couldn't figure out who he played. I love the way he played that role

That scene at the end with him talking how influential van gogh was when he is listening....moves me to tears. Every. Single. Time 🥲

YES! Right there!

I would have loved to see him play a more contemplative and less wacky Doctor than we've been getting for a while, without going over-the-top maudlin. He would definitely have brought some amazing skills to the role.

lol totally. So many great lines.

Definitely, he's hilarious!

"I tip my hat to you. One legend to another."

"Ain't no hawk! Ain't nothin' but bats!"

Right when I heard his voice, I was like oh my gosh it's Davy Jones lol

Bill Nighy has done a few voice acting roles. I know he was on the Netflix show Castlevania in the third season I think.

"Hello Brother"

i love him in that film! 💖

@@binazirissenova9382 so underrated. Beautiful film

Man I love that movie so much.

Absolutely wrecked me

Great movie!

Yes, it's a great scene. But it's a shame that they didn't use the obvious song for that scene, Starry, Starry Night by Don McLean.

That scene makes you just weep doesn't it?

Yes doctor who

Maybe because they always are. Dunno. But maybe.

Hear, hear!

You can listen to Bill Nighy on BBC SOUNDS 4 EXTRA in lots of stuff, top of the lot, as the curmudgeon actor/would be Poirot, the v FAMED Charles Paris Mysteries, w other fab voice actors. A Doubtful Death is available for over a year.

Agreed. Such a beautiful film.

Same haha

I’m quite alright, Barbara. I ran it under a cold tap.

I literally discovered him in Shaun of the Dead & then set out to watch his movies. A classic.

True. I too was bit disappointed.

Same

@@elliewessex4134 He was epic in Shaun of the Dead, with so many great one-liners. Though now I can't hear Freddie sing "Tonight....." without replaying the fight scene in my head.

I love the scene where they are saying goodbye to Isabella and her family and Mr Woodhouse says I wish she wouldn't go. In the brief shot of his face you can tell he's terrified Isabella is going to get sick and he's never going to see her again. It's a really under-rated performance. He was awesome.

As a Brit his funniest line was when he said "Well Ant or Dec...." The "or" bit was great because Ant And Dec are huge stars here but most people have no idea which is which.

Looking for this mention. Loved him as Slarty Bartfast 😄

I was binge watching all Alan Rickman movies recenlty and i stumbled upon Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.. Didn't know that Bill was in on it. I like that movie, one of my favorites. :)

@@kimtan0627 Yup! Good old Slarty Bartfast 😁

It's one of my favorite books and movies. I love his and Arthur's conversation. "Best laid plans of mice, you know" "Best laid plans of mice and men, you mean" "I don't think men have much to do with it" And you can't forget "I'd much rather be happy than right, any day"

I read an interview with him where he said that he was a fan of the Hitchhiker's Guide books and had fond memories of reading them along with his daughter. He sneakily dropped a hint in a red carpet interview that he was hoping to be in the movie but no one publicly knew he was still in negotiations and hadn't been officially been cast yet. When his manager angrily rang him to ask what he was thinking he said, "I want to be in it."

I'd love to hear him narrate a book about adventure or something

Underrated series.

@@sw-gsAgreed with the first 2, last two messed me up a bit, but Kate was still beautiful in them.

Victor and Davy Jones are my two all-time favorite roles by the man.

Yes I was surprised to see his humor being all verbal. None of that lively body language, no smile, no snort... Quite a stiff upper lip. I don't mean that as criticism, it's just different.

Why should he talk about his role in Harry Potter when he only appeared for like 5 minutes?

@@Zerath0 Because he was memorable? In an 8-picture-long sea of British accents, he stands out.

@@colejolley certainly not one of his most iconic roles.

@@colejolley I would disagree with that statement. Memorable he was not.

@@Zerath0 I thought he was. His scene just popped into my head immediately reading this comment.

He has Dupuytren's contracture, which affects the 4th and 5th fingers on both hands.

@@TylerHNelsonBrowncoat Thank you for that! It explains a great deal, but detracts from my enjoyment in no way.

@@ericthompson3982 Of course not. It's just rather interesting.

@@TylerHNelsonBrowncoat I have never been unimpressed by him.

@@ericthompson3982 Nor have I. I particularly enjoyed him in Wild Target. Shame that one didn't make the list here.

He's not being insecure in the slightest, that's classic British self-deprecation.

Why do you think he is insecure? I don't see that at all.

Funny, I used the same word to describe his performances in Underworld & Pirates of the Caribbean. Truly iconic.

How is he insecure

@@jens2049 I got that impression too because he said that he refuses to watch anything he’s featured in.

Absolutely. A precursor to Billy Mack, but a brilliant performance. Let's hear it for Ray's rendition of "All over the world!" And for letting Les do "The Flame Still Burns."

He was born to play a washed up 70s rocker!

Love, love, LOVE that film. So disappointed it wasn’t featured here. Along with the boat that rocked. “Happy birthday by the way.” “I’m not fifty.” 🙂

One of my all time favourite movies!

Plus he looked great in heavy eyeliner!

I totally agree, Bill is a brilliant actor and I really like every film he is involved in.

He’s not underrated in the UK. He is highly respected and his stage work is excellent, as New Yorkers would also attest as he has been on Broadway a lot.

funniest of gq,its so dry

So glad people remember the Van Gogh monologue as it was an incredibly impressive acting performance.