Bill Nighy on Living, Reimagining Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru, and How He Prepares for a Big Scene

One of my favorite films at this year’s Sundance Film Festival was director Oliver Hermanus’ Living. Based on the Akira Kurosawa film Ikiru, the reimagined version was written by Nobel Prize and Booker Prize winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro and produced by Stephen Woolley. Like Ikiru, Living focuses on a veteran civil servant (Bill Nighy) who’s been doing the same job for decades and has been living on autopilot for many years. But when he’s given a terminal medical diagnosis, he decides, after watching and becoming friends with a young woman (Aimee Lou Wood) who once worked under his supervision, to turn the page on his lonely and empty existence and work towards creating something for the next generation. Led by Nighy’s tremendous performance, and exceptional direction by Hermanus, I can’t recommend the film enough. Living also stars Alex Sharp and Tom Burke. Shortly after seeing the film, I had the chance to speak with Bill Nighy. During the fun conversation, Nighy talked about how the project happen