Bill Nighy portrays a reclusive novelist in "& Sons", the kind of literary figure who shares JD Salinger's aversion to public attention while bearing the dishevelled appearance of a Catweazle. His character, AN Dyer, remains horizontal on the sofa for much of the film, dismissing phone calls with a grumble. In a phone interview from north-west London, the 76-year-old actor revealed himself as surprisingly au fait with modern communication, describing himself as an enthusiastic texter who was particularly quick on the old Nokia. Though he once held philosophical objections to emojis, he has relented on certain exceptions, including the flamingo, purple dahlia, and leaping shark, while remaining steadfastly opposed to smiley faces, which he considers distinctly naff.
Nighy has cultivated firm professional boundaries over the years. He has completely withdrawn from Zoom calls, confessing they made him miserable, and has outlawed working lunches where conversation inevitably drifts toward business matters. When pressed on what might make him decline an acting role, his response was swift and categorical: togas. In the film, his character Dyer serves as a harsh, self-absorbed parent who considers his literary accomplishments sufficient justification for emotional neglect. Nighy himself has a daughter, the actor-director Mary Nighy, from his long partnership with Diana Quick, and freely acknowledges that parenting is learned through trial and error rather than according to any grand philosophy.
Nighy has built an illustrious career through roles ranging from the cynical rock musician Billy Mack in "Love Actually" to the tentacled Davy Jones in "Pirates of the Caribbean", culminating in an Oscar nomination for his understated performance in "Living". Yet writing remained his original passion, kindled by an English teacher who suggested he try his hand at a novel. He later worked for a hunting and fishing magazine before decamping to Paris, where he haunted Shakespeare & Company like countless literary aspirants before him, dreaming of killer sentences and romantic encounters. Neither materialised; he eventually found himself begging at the Trocadéro. He drifted into acting almost by accident, still harbouring plans to write someday. His podcast, "Ill-Advised", serves as a kind of verbal memoir, where he dispenses rambling, off-the-cuff advice to listeners on everything from sartorial choices to social faux pas.