Nighy, who told Movieline he modeled his character after his hero Christopher Walken (despite admitting he'd never previously handled a gun on- or offscreen), went on to explain the dark lure of hit men in the movies -- and why he'll never know for himself how his stacks up against the greats.
What do you think so captivates audiences -- and to actors, writers, filmmakers -- about hit men? Was there a part of this mythology you dug into or considered ahead of this role?
I guess part of the hit-man appeal is the solitude. Everybody is lured to the idea of the solitary life. Or maybe there's a section of the audience that would like to go around taking people out. I don't know. If I go into a film like Gross Pointe Blank, which is a film I quite admire -- John Cusack is an excellent actor, and it has a very witty script -- the bit that worries me is that he kills people. I suppose what it is -- and I know it's a cliché -- but they are outside. They are on the edge of society.
But what's weird in the case of Victor is that it's his family business -- and his family is upper-class, hardly alienated. How did you reconcile those dynamics?
The family on the edge? Well, I don't think he had any very close relationship with his father. And his mother... I do think the idea of Dame Eileen Atkins with a shotgun is worth anyone's cinema money. But I don't know how you "reconcile" the ideas. I do think it's witty to have this family tradition -- a family that has made this their business -- and that he has a hard time carrying it on.
There is something kind of old-fashioned about the style of the film; I feel like Charles Crichton could have made this 60 years ago at Ealing Studios. Is that coincidental, or did Wild Target actively seek to continue that tradition?
Well, I don't know, because I've never seen the film. I make a habit of not seeing them.
Why?
Because I'm in it, and it takes me too long to recover. I am squeamish to the extreme about the sight of myself and the sound of myself. The thing that I really can't take is the acting. I can't take the acting. I tried to look at myself. That's what they tell you when you're young: "If you don't watch, how are you going to learn?" Well, it turned out not to be the case; it made me just want to retire. So I gave it up very early on. It's too unpleasant, and I all I see is the disparity between what I see onscreen and what I had in mind. Occasionally I have to do ADR -- dubbing. If it weren't for ADR, my job would be a whole lot better. Any actor will tell you: You come out of ADR, and you just think, "I'm going to re-train. I'm going to go and rehabilitate. I'm going to quit and go landscape gardens."
I know we've only known each other for a few minutes now, but I hope you'll take my word for it: Give yourself a little more credit.
Well, thanks. I've become accustomed to it. I used to think people were either crazy or lying to me whenever I said anything positive about my work. And I would keep quiet out of politeness -- out of courtesy. Now, I do actually accept that my perception of myself as an actor might be wrong. But it's still my perception, so I just keep out of the way. And the risk is too great because I have to go to work again. The last thing I need is the memory of the last one. I know what happens in the movie; I know everything about the movie! I know what I was trying to achieve. I know everything I need to know. I don't need to witness it in order to do it again. But I do believe you! I have trust, and I respect your opinion.
What about something like Pirates of the Caribbean, in which your likeness is totally obscured?
That's the one exception. I happily watch the Pirates of the Caribbean movies -- both 2 and 3. And I watched them at Disneyland, on bleachers, watching them on a screen over that lake. I quite liked that, because I'm a squid! What are you going to say? You hate my squid-faced surrogate? In any case the actual creature was someone else's -- in this case -- terrific achievement. I was so pleased and thrilled to watch a movie I was a part of.
So I guess you're not going to watch the last two Harry Potter films, which you're also in?
No. The risk is too great. Why risk it?
Having witnessed and been part of the Pirates phenomenon, what's your early sense of being part of the Potter phenomenon -- especially as it winds down?
I'm not sure. It's different for me; these are my first time with the Harry Potter movies. I didn't grow up in the world like this cast. They are beloved by so many.
What are you working on now?
I'm working on a film by John Madden; we're going to India. It's Dame Judi Dench, Dame Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, myself, and Dev Patel from Slumdog Millionaire are all going to Northern India to film the bulk of a film called The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. It's about a bunch of English people who, for some reason or another, are down on their luck, and they respond to an opportunity to live in what they think is some kind of luxury. I'm pleased to work with Dame Judi Dench again. It should be very, very interesting; I've never been to India before. I've always wanted to go.
I'm also going to make a film with someone I've worked with more than anybody else, and that would be David Hare. Or Sir David Hare, if you like. It's a film for the BBC that I'll be doing in January. I'm excited about that.
What's that called?
Page 8. I've been working with him since I was young; the last time was in New York, when I did his play The Vertical Hour with Julianne Moore. I had one of the best times of my life. I'd love to get back to New York.
[Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images]