Bill Nighy discusses his role as an abrasive, reclusive novelist in the film *& Sons*, while reflecting on abandoned ambitions to become a writer in Paris and his preference for avoiding Zoom calls, working lunches and certain acting costumes. The interview presents the 76-year-old actor as candid and idiosyncratic, contrasting his character’s belief that artistic talent excuses poor behaviour with Nighy’s rejection of that idea.

In *& Sons*, Nighy plays AN Dyer, an emotionally distant father whose strained relationships with his sons and former wife drive the story, which also introduces an undisclosed science-fiction element. Nighy says parenting involved improvisation and correcting mistakes; he has a daughter, actor-director Mary Nighy, and two grandchildren. He also describes himself as an enthusiastic texter with selective emoji tastes, including flamingos, flowers and golfing symbols, but no smiley faces.