Bill Nighy talks about his role as SCRIMGEOUR in HARRY POTTER finale
We brought you news a couple of weeks ago, that Bill Nighy had joined the cast for the final installments of Harry Potter. The actor known for his work in the Pirates of The Caribbean and Underworld films, couldn't reveal then who he'd be playing, but we now have official word. Nighy will take on the role of Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part I and II.
I shoot it when we get back from this trip. I go home and I shoot, and I am Rufus Scrimgeour. I am a wizard. I am the Minister for Magic, and I am very pleased, because I thought I was going to remain the only English actor who wasn't in Harry Potter, but apparently that's not true.
Nighy explained to ScifiWire. And we're glad he has finally made it into the Potter world.
MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOKS, THAT IS.
Scrimgeour was actually introduced in the sixth of J.K. Rowling's best-selling books, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, but the creative team behind the movies elected to wait until the two-part movie finale (based on the seventh book) to bring him onto the scene.
A long-time fighter against dark wizards, Scrimgeour assumes the Minister title from Cornelius Fudge, makes strides in the battle against Voldemort and the Death Eaters but also indulges in his predecessor's knack of allowing appearances to overshadow actual results.
Nighy continued:
Scrimgeour is a rather tragic figure, without giving too much away. But there's no giving too much away, because everybody's read the books. So he's a kind of tragic figure. You have that element. And he knows what's coming. So that's a very moving thing to play. He's also very powerful, and he's had a very complicated progress to the top. And he has an interesting relationship with Harry [Daniel Radcliffe], because Harry views him initially with complete contempt, but then it's softened by subsequent events.
Wow, it looks like Nighy did some reading! Up until he had been cast, Bill hadn't read any of the books. But like the amazing actor he is, it looks like he already has a firm grasp on the character. When asked if there was a particular scene from the book, that he was looking forward to realizing before the camera, Nighy smiled:
Well, there's one where he comes and delivers Dumbledore's [Michael Gambon] legacy to the three children," Nighy replied, referring to Harry, Hermione (Emma Watson) and Ron (Rupert Grint, with whom Nighy worked on the upcoming action-comedy Wild Target). "He gives them all of the things that Dumbledore has left them, and that's when it's first indicated that he may not be around for much longer. So it's quite an affecting scene.
I love reporting. I get to spoil movies for myself. Awesome. They are currently shooting both parts of Deathly Hallows. And you can, and should go see Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince in theaters now.
So what do you guys think of Bill Nighy as Rufus Scimgeour?