Bill Nighy Explains Why He’s Always Snorting In His Movies
Many actors have signature moves. Brad Pitt eats in nearly all his movies, Tom Cruise runs… a lot, Leonardo DiCaprio has a penchant for toasting, and Bill Nighy snorts. Now, in an interview for British GQ, Nighy gives a little insight into why he snorts.
Bill Nighy talks his signature snort
During his interview with British GQ, Nighy talks about his most iconic characters. When asked about his signature snort and its inclusion in his character in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, Nighy muses, “Why does the squid in Pirates of the Caribbean snort as I have snorted when I laugh in other movies?”
Nighy answers slyly: “I know why. I do know why…” and provides a glimmer of insight into his trademark sound, saying, “It’s actually because I caught it from someone else when I was young.” Nighy does not, however, reveal who that “someone else” is.
Bill Nighy on his role as Davey Jones in ‘Pirates of the Caribbean’
When discussing his role as Davey Jones in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (a role he reprised in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End), Nighy talks at length about the difficulties he faced on set.
As described by Nighy in the interview with British GQ, Jones is a “Scottish Pirate who was made squid-like” and controls the terrifying sea creature, the Kraken. Jones is supposed to be the most fearsome character in the film, but behind the scenes, that was hardly the case. As Nighy describes it, he spent his days dressed in “computer pajamas” with “baubles” and “white dots” all over him.
“It was kind of a very lonely place to be, on a big American film set dressed as an idiot,” Nighy confides. “People just couldn’t look at you. It was just too sad… It was tragic to see this old guy wandering about in pajamas.”
Bill Nighy’s other iconic roles
Undoubtedly best known for his role as an aging rocker Billy Mack in Love Actually, Nighy has been acting for nearly 50 years. Born in Caterham, Surrey, England, Nighy began acting in British television in 1976 and continued, nearly non-stop, breaking into the American film market in 2003 with Love Actually.
Since then, he has appeared in huge franchises like the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean with Johnny Depp and Kiera Knightly, Underworld with Kate Beckinsale, Harry Potter, and Doctor Who.
Nighy has also been seen in State of Play, Shaun of the Dead, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, The Girl in the Café, The Constant Gardener, Notes on a Scandal, Hot Fuzz, Valkyrie, Wild Target, Page Eight, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Wrath of the Titans, Total Recall, About Time, Sometimes Always Never, and Emma.
More recently, Nighy appeared in this year’s new series, The Man Who Fell to Earth, in which Nighy stars alongside Chiwetel Ejiofor and Westworld’s Jimmi Simpson. The legendary actor will also be seen in the upcoming Heidi: Queen of the Mountain and Role Play with Kaley Cuoco and Connie Nielson.
