The Minister of Magic Is Hitting the Books to Prepare for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Posted 07.20.09 by reelz
Unlike some wizards we could name, Bill Nighy is hitting the books to get up to speed for his role as Minister of Magic Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. And since he wasn't in any of the previous Harry Potter movies, there is a whole lot to catch up on. Although he hasn't read the books yet, Nighy says he is in the midst of getting a "serious crash course."
Talking about his take on the character, Nighy says:
...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.
Nighy also adds that he's especially pleased about landing the role because he'd begun worrying about ending up as the "only English actor of a certain age who wasn't in Harry Potter."