Bill Nighy Previews ‘Love Actually’ Reunion: ‘I Can Still Get Into the Same Trousers!’
After a 14-year wait, the long-desired Love Actually reunion is nigh, and Bill Nighy couldn’t be happier. The veteran British character actor is reprising his role as curmudgeonly rocker Billy Mack for writer/director Richard Curtis’s sequel to his 2003 rom-com favorite that’s the featured attraction of this year’s Red Nose Day charity special, airing May 25 at 10 p.m. on NBC. (Watch a just-released trailer above.)
And Nighy’s not the only returning cast member: The entire ensemble is reprising their roles, from Andrew Lincoln and Keira Knightley to Liam Neeson and Hugh Grant. “Everybody was very happy to jump in and help,” Nighy tells Yahoo TV. (And yes, they’re aware that fans really want to know “which one of us has aged the best,” as noted by Keira Knightley’s cue card in the trailer.) “Richard’s done a really good job. It’ll give you an idea of where those characters might be now and what happened in the intervening 14 years. Also, Red Nose Day raises millions of dollars and saves millions of lives. This reunion has already generated so much publicity and interest, it will hopefully be reflected in the amount of money people send.”
One of the benefits of being a Love Actually fan and cast member is that you get access to footage before anyone else. And Nighy teases that he’s already seen the segment that catches viewers up on Neeson’s lonely widower, Daniel. “I think everyone will find that intensely satisfying, because it’s the perfect extrapolation of what might have happened to Liam’s character.”
He also suggests that audiences will be delighted all over again by Hugh Grant’s dance-happy prime minister. “Look out for what Hugh does; that’s worth your money right there. He’s my hero.” As for Billy himself, the trailer suggests that the “Christmas Is All Around” crooner has steadfastly refused to grow up over the past decade… unlike, say, Daniel’s previously cherubic stepson Sam (Thomas Sangster). And Nighy confirms that Mack is “pretty much” the same person he was 14 years ago. “I can still get into the same trousers, which is refreshing!”
The Red Nose Day Special airs Thursday, May 25, at 10 p.m. on NBC.
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