Bill Nighy Talks Nostalgic Draw of ‘Their Finest’

Apr 11, 2017

Posted by: Dawn Johnson

Actor Interviews, Films, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, HP Cast, Interviews, Movies, News

Bill Nighy is now starring in the WWII-era romantic dramedy, Their Finest. The film delves into a devastating period in world history, but does so from an optimistic point of view, centering on an unlikely trio of people who come together to make a propaganda piece that lifts the spirits of embattled Britons.

Gemma Arterton plays the film’s unassuming screenwriter, tasked with joining the cynical Sam Claflin to pen the project. Nighy portrays Ambrose Hilliard, the pompous actor relegated to a supporting role in a film about so much more than himself.

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Nighy is best known to Harry Potter fans as Minster for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in Deathly Hallows Part I. He’s not nearly so arrogant as the character Hilliard. Rather, Scrimgeour is straight-laced and serious. But like Nighy’s Hilliard, he’s tasked with bringing people together in a dark and frightening time as Voldemort’s reign of terror gains momentum. Though the two men ultimately choose different methods, the end goal remains the same–unifying a people.

Nighy spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about why this period in history–and stories about times of struggle in general–continue to resonate and draw audiences. He said:

“There’s a great nostalgia for this period in Britain, and mostly amongst people who weren’t there. It’s a nostalgia for a brutal, savage time — hundreds of thousands of people died — but I think what it’s actually for is some kind of unified experience, where life was simplified by everyone being in collective danger and in peril from one thing. And therefore you were purified or cleansed, to some degree, of all the usual petty squabbles and divisions. I think that may be why people yearn for it, in a strange way.”

His position is that the propaganda films, unlike the propaganda we’re familiar with today, performed an invaluable function. They gave people essential information and instructions. They gave them updates about the war and world at large. And, most importantly, they gave them hope and drove them together rather than apart. He told AM New York:

“[Propaganda films] were built for a purpose, and they were built to keep everybody’s spirits up during a brutal time, and they would deliver certain information about how to conduct yourself in certain situations, keep yourself safe, all those practical things, but they also got around under the most ridiculous conditions to make some really good films that were probably romantic or probably funny or whatever they were supposed to be. Everybody got entertained, which is what I like about this film.”

Regarding those conditions, Nighy talked about a favorite scene from the film which depicted an ingenious film-making technique from that era. It was not only useful for keeping costs low, but it was also extremely practical in the sense that you couldn’t easily send the actors and film crew to the front. So they had to get creative and still get the intended message and emotional effect across. He explained:

“There’s one particular scene when we’re all at the beach and they’re filming the great evacuation of hundreds, if not thousands, of boats that were liberating English forces from the French coast. Then they pull away and you discover that all those boats on the coast are actually painted on a sheet of glass in front of the camera! It’s so brilliant but it’s also so successful! They have to make films under ridiculously difficult conditions, and yet they turned out some really good ones.”

It sounds like Their Finest will be one of the “good ones,” and Nighy’s commitment to selecting projects that are meaningful is admirable. He’s a thoughtful actor with gifted comedic timing, and he means for his roles to make a contribution, saying to The Hollywood Reporter, “Generally speaking, I always try and take things that will be of full value in the world, rather than things that are a nuance. ”

He then imparts further words of wisdom to anyone interested in the film industry. After a reminder worthy of Scrimgeour to “just say no” to drugs and pay your taxes, Nighy advised:

“Don’t take anybody’s reputation at face value. Let them prove it to you. Just be quiet about it, you don’t have to make a fuss about it. You don’t have to let them know about that. But just don’t assume because people are either successful or powerful that they’re anything other than fortunate. Just wait and see, so that you’re not unnecessarily and inappropriately over-impressed.”

Nighy may be generally inclined to reserve judgement, but he did share that he was quite impressed with his past experiences performing on Broadway. When asked by AM New York to compare the “Great White Way” to London’s West End, he said:

“Broadly speaking, it’s the same experience, but I remember that when I first came to New York, when I walked on stage for my first entrance, [the audience] would clap. The first time they did it, I looked behind me. I literally looked behind me because I thought somebody must have done something because I haven’t. I’ve just walked. I haven’t done anything yet.

“But I got used to it immediately. I loved it when they clapped when I’d walk out. They would never do that in a month of Sundays in England. You could wait your whole life and no one is going to clap when you come up, or at least not when I come up.”

Kudos to you, New Yorkers! We join you in applauding Nighy’s efforts. American fans can now see his latest, which is currently in U.S. theaters. UK fans can see Their Finest when it releases April 21st!

Read Nighy’s full interview with The Hollywood Reporter here. For his interview with AM New York, read here.

 





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.