Bill Nighy Admits Stealing Shakespeare for Audition

Bill Nighy, the Oscar-nominated actor, admitted to stealing the complete works of Shakespeare from a library to prepare for his drama school audition at the Guildford School of Acting, a move initially aimed at impressing a girl. Along with Shakespeare, he also stole works by George Bernard Shaw, mistakenly thinking they were modern. Despite preparing female roles unknowingly, he was invited back for a second audition with appropriate material and was subsequently accepted. Though Shakespeare's works were pivotal in his early career, Nighy has since retired from performing them, expressing no interest in their delivery despite acknowledging Shakespeare's literary genius. The girl he wanted to impress played a crucial role in his decision to pursue acting, as she initiated his application process. Nighy has had professional roles in 'The Taming of the Shrew' and 'King Lear' but has focused more on other acting projects throughout his career.