Bill Nighy on Living, Reimagining Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, and How He Prepares for a Big Scene
342One of my favorite films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Oliver Hermanus’ Living. Based on the Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru, the reimagined version was written by Nobel Prize and Booker Prize winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and produced by Stephen Woolley. Like Ikiru, Living focuses on a veteran civil servant (Bill Nighy) who’s been doing the same job for decades and has been living on autopilot for many years. But when he’s given a terminal medical diagnosis, he decides, after watching and becoming friends with a young woman (Aimee Lou Wood) who once worked under his supervision, to turn the page on his lonely and empty existence and work towards creating something for the next generation. Led by Nighy’s tremendous performance, and exceptional direction by Hermanus, I can’t recommend the film enough. Living also stars Alex Sharp and Tom Burke.
Shortly after seeing the film, I had the chance to speak with Bill Nighy. During the fun conversation, Nighy talked about how the project happened (which involved a late-night dinner and some drinks), why he loved Kazuo Ishiguro’s script, what it was like filming the scene where he had to sing and then break down emotionally in the middle of the song, how he prepares for a tough scene, what people would be surprised to learn about the making of Living, and more. In addition, he talked about when he knew he wanted to be an actor, the visual effects on Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and why he loves working with Richard Curtis.
Finally, Sony Pictures Classics announced today that they have acquired the rights to Living in North America, so I'd imagine they will release the film later this year in award season. In the press release they said:
"From the dazzling screenplay by Ishiguro, to the visual storytelling by Oliver Hermanus, to the spectacular performances led by Bill Nighy, to the evocative score and the perfection of the movie‘s design and costumes, Living is that overwhelming, emotional movie audiences are hungering for in their return to theaters. We are thrilled to embark on this adventure with these artists and our producer friends Stephen Woolley, Liz Karlsen, Daniel Battsek, and Rocket Science."
Watch what Bill Nighy had to say in the player above, and below is exactly what we talked about.
Bill Nighy
If someone has never seen anything he’s done before, what is the first thing they should watch and why?
How the visual effects on Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies still look great today.
When did he know he wanted to be an actor?
When did he feel like he could just be an actor and still pay rent?
How did this project happen?
How author Kazuo Ishiguro and producer Stephen Woolley were having dinner and Bill Nighy dropped by for a drink…
What was his reaction to the script by Kazuo Ishiguro?
How he had never seen Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru before deciding to make the film.
Was he nervous to sing in the movie?
What was it like filming the scene where he had to sing and then break down emotionally in the middle of the song?
How does he like to prepare for a tough scene?
What would surprise people to learn about the making of Living?
What does he love about working with writer Richard Curtis?
#BillNighy #Living #RichardCurtis
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