Bill Nighy has heard the stories – and he knows why Londoners keep spotting him. Asked about the viral phenomenon of people sharing heartwarming anecdotes about bumping into him in the capital, the 76-year-old actor said: "I have heard about it. It's because I don't own a car, and I don't actually make any concessions to the fact that I am maybe visible in that way. Because if I can't walk about, and if I can't go to bookshops and go to the coffee shop, then the game's up. You know, what's it all about?"
He added: "So I do that, and it's fine. There's no great heat, I'm not Tom Cruise or anything. Nobody's going to run down the street."
Bill recalled when a journalist previously put out a call for people to share stories of meeting him in the street. "I think 1,000 people responded, because I walk about a lot, and I'm quite old, so I've been walking about for a long time," he said. "The fact that there was nobody who said 'Yes, I met him, and he was an absolute a******e' is very gratifying. I don't go out trying not to be an a******e. I just do whatever you would do, or anybody would do, it's just a normal thing. People say hi, you say hi."
A social media phenomenon
On X, users frequently share their sightings. RebeccaCNReid tweeted: "You are not a Londoner until you've seen Bill Nighy." northnorth_west reported a "particularly glorious Bill Nighy sighting in London this evening." SquidyUK described seeing him in Soho and raising a coffee to say "Congratulations!" – the first time he'd seen him smile, he claimed. Anitathetweeter once asked: "Is there a more spot-able celebrity?"
The writer of this piece also has her own memory of encountering Bill about a decade ago, before she became an entertainment journalist. Walking along the street, she saw a group of builders having a photo taken with a man she presumed was famous. As he turned and walked her way, she had a complete mind blank. He smiled, nodded and carried on. When she mentioned this to Bill, he replied: "That's the other thing – you never know when people smile at you, or they look at you a bit longer, you don't know if it's because they know you or because they're just dreaming, so sometimes it backfires, because you'll say good morning, and they're like, 'What? Who are you?'"
Ride or Die: Bill Nighy on his new series
In his latest project, Ride or Die, Bill stars opposite Hannah Waddingham and Octavia Spencer as The Director, the head of a mysterious assassination agency. The Director recruits Judith (Hannah) from an orphanage as a teenager, transforming her into a lethal weapon. Debbie (Octavia), Judith's best friend, is unaware of her secret profession until she is embroiled in a dangerous plot that puts her life at risk.
Speaking about working with Hannah, Bill said: "I didn't know anything about Hannah before I met her, other than that she was very celebrated and very good. When I met her, she was just absolutely charming, and you could tell within seconds that you were in the presence of somebody gracious and welcoming and professional. I know this is the cliché to end them all, but it does come from the top, and Hannah's general, her sensibility, and her way of conducting herself sets the tone, which is very, very important in a leading performer."
He also praised the show's creator, Tessa Coates: "I think it's a sublime blend for the viewer, and I think [creator] Tessa Coates has pulled off something really special, because it honours the genre in every respect, but it also moves it on a touch. It's not just funny, it's properly funny, and the action is for real. So, I think she's done a brilliant job. She's a very remarkable person."
Ride or Die is available to stream on Amazon Prime.
