K.J. Yossman It’s been almost two decades since Bill Nighy delighted audiences with his turn as a rock ‘n’ roll legend with a heart of gold in “Love, Actually.” Now the actor steps into a real musical legend’s shoes as he plays Thomas Jerome Newton in the Paramount+ series “The Man Who Fell to Earth” – a role originated by Davie Bowie in the 1976 feature film version of the same name.In the sequel, Nighy stars as the extra-terrestrial Newton opposite Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris.
As Paramount Plus launches in the U.K. and Ireland this week, Nighy sat down with Variety to discuss his career, whether he’d ever take part in “Love Actually 2” and monetizing his posthumous hologram. What attracted you to “The Man Who Fell to Earth”?Everything about it was attractive to me.
The scripts were sensational. Jenny Lumet and Alex Kurtzman have done something really, really remarkable… I am a big fan of literature of the imagination (I’m trying to avoid the word “sci fi.”)… So this was really my thing and it’s brilliantly put together and brilliantly achieved.
And it’s a wonderful vehicle for examining all the big questions, all the big subjects from racism, environmental issues, the general response to migration, all the big stuff…But also, I was a big fan of the movie, and I was a big fan of [the original film’s director] Nick Roeg.
Read more on variety.com