Bill Nighy gets recognised more on the street during the Christmas holidays thanks to the enduring popularity of his festive classic Love Actually.
The British actor famously played ageing rock star Billy Mack, who is hoping to make a comeback with a new festive song, in Richard Curtis's 2003 Christmas romantic comedy.
Despite being 22 years old, Love Actually is as popular as ever, and a film watched by many every year as a Christmas tradition.
As a result of Love Actually's cultural impact, Nighy, 76, has noticed that he's more famous and recognisable during the holiday season.
"It's fabulous that it carries on. I mean, I am more famous at Christmas, there's no question," he said on the Table Manners podcast. "A woman came up to me the other day and said, 'You're Mr Christmas, aren't you?'"
The Boat That Rocked star shared that his role in the successful film has helped him "cruise through certain things" over the years.
Citing an example, he explained, "I think I hold the record for getting a visa out of the American Embassy. I mean, it took eight minutes. I think they know my work (but) I could be fooling myself and I just got lucky."
In the film, Billy Mack makes a comeback with a festive cover of Love Is All Around, aptly titled Christmas Is All Around, which tops the charts.
Nighy noted that one of Mack's most famous lines is often quoted back to him in public.
"When Love Actually first came out, the kids across the street where I was living used to chase me down the street shouting, 'Hey, kids don't buy drugs. Become a rock star. People give you them for free!' which is a joke (from the film)," he recalled.
The same line once came back to haunt him when he was going through immigration from Canada to the U.S. and came face to face with an immigration agent with a "big black moustache".
"He eventually pointed at me, and he said, 'Hey, kids don't buy drugs. Become a rock star. People give you them for free. Am I right? Am I right?'" he remembered. "I was like, 'Drugs?! Noooo, no, no, no. I've got no drugs.'"
The festive feel-good film featured an ensemble cast including Keira Knightley, Andrew Lincoln, Liam Neeson, Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Alan Rickman and Emma Thompson.
