Bill Nighy didn't expect The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel to be "box office dynamite".
The British actor is currently shooting the sequel to the popular 2011 movie directed by John Madden. He returns along with a host of big names - including Dame Maggie Smith and Celia Imrie - in playing a group of retirees who travel to India to take up residence in a quaint hotel.
The original proved to be a worldwide hit - a reaction which Bill did not expect at all.
"'A bunch of old people go to India' shouldn't really be box office dynamite, but in fact it took quite a lot of money. As a result, you were allowed, for a while, to explore the stories of people who were not 35," he mused to British magazine ShortList.
"I don't mind one way or the other, it doesn't bother me."
Bill's previous big roles include pirate Davy Jones in two of the Pirates of the Caribbean instalments and Minister Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. The 64-year-old star feels lucky to have been a part of such renown franchises.
"It's great, it's a revelation. Pirates was a great part, great script and those movies are beloved from kids to grown-ups. I don't mind what genre, as long as it's not going to be a nuisance in the world and there's some dignity in it for everyone," he added. "If you call being a quid dignified. Which I do."
Some of Bill's most memorable performances have been comedic. He has worked with duo Simon Pegg and Nick Frost and starred in their three hit films Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz and The World's End.
Because of their talent and positive nature Bill thoroughly enjoys the duo's company.
"They make you laugh all the time without that weird compulsive thing where they have to be funny," he smiled. "They're classy guys and I'm very fond of them. And I'm very proud to be one of the select few who have been in all three of their Cornetto Trilogy.”
