James Nesbitt
James Nesbitt
William James Nesbitt, OBEis an actor and presenter from Northern Ireland. Born in Ballymena, County Antrim, Nesbitt grew up in the nearby village of Broughshane, before moving to Coleraine, County Londonderry. He wanted to become a teacher like his father, so he began a degree in French at the University of Ulster. He dropped out after a year when he decided to become an actor, and transferred to the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. After graduating in...
NationalityIrish
ProfessionTV Actor
Date of Birth15 January 1965
CountryIreland
People don't watch TV only to relate to stuff. They also watch to find out about a world they can't relate to.
Ever since I left Northern Ireland, I've always been pretty comfortable on my own, which contradicts a lot of people's perceptions of me.
The whole process of making 'Bloody Sunday' was difficult but extraordinary.
There will only ever be 13 dwarves in 'The Hobbit' - and I was one of them. If I had my time again, would I do it? Yeah, I would.
I've never thought of myself as a classic leading man. I'm a character actor who happens to play leading roles. Come on, look at me. I'm really Desperate Dan.
I've never felt that acting was my vocation - never had that tortured thing. I love acting, but it doesn't feed my soul.
I've always been a family man and count myself as one of those who are lucky to have the comfort of a family.
Northern Ireland has treated me well, you know?
Although surgeons know how to deal with bits of the brain, they don't really know how it works.
A lot of people of my Ulster Protestant background would have been very suspicious of the notion of a film about Bloody Sunday. Our fear would have been that it would be terribly anti-Britain and anti-soldiers: a piece of nationalist propaganda.
Actually, I played Pontius Pilate as nice. An actor spends his life thinking he is Christ, and then he gets to play the character that killed him.
Acting was a godsend. I found myself because I loved acting.
Acting is something you didn't do in Ireland.
Drama asks some uncomfortable questions at times... It goes to pretty dark places.