The lugubrious actor tells
Heidi Ruge about his compulsive love of Rowntree's Fruit Gums,
his squeamishness in the face of semolina, and his international Marmite-smuggling operations
Where did you eat last night?
At the Wolseley on Piccadilly with Martin and Mary Samuel, who do the hair and wigs on the Pirates of the Caribbean films. I had bacon, avocado, lettuce and prawn salad, followed by cassoulet, then lemon sorbet, rhubarb sorbet and a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Who would you invite to your fantasy dinner party?
Certainly Ronaldinho, who plays for Barcelona. I'd also invite country singer Shelby Lynne, Gary Kemp and his lovely wife Lauren, Sir Alex Ferguson, Aretha Franklin, and actors Michael Gambon, Gene Hackman, Christopher Walken and Dame Judi Dench.
What's your favourite restaurant?
The Wolseley and, predictably, The Ivy. love the atmosphere and the general terms of engagement. Everybody is pleasant and the service is impeccable.
What's your favourite local restaurant?
Charuwan, a superior Thai place in north London. I'm very compulsive, so I always have the same thing: stir-fried beef with chilli, green beans, Thai basil and pak choi. They don't even bring me the menu any more.
Marmite: love it or hate it?
Love it. I am a great fan of baked beans on toast with Marmite underneath.
I even smuggle Marmite from country to country. I never know if it's quite legal or not. The sign says, “have you got any foodstuffs on you?" Well, I lie.
What other foods do you love?
I used to drink ice-cold milk all the time and now, of course, I don't. Who drinks milk? It seems so reckless these days. When I gave up cigarettes, I became passionate about Rowntree's Fruit Gums, and I would go mad on them. I'm sort of over it now.
What's your worst food memory?
When I was 11, I had my appendix out, and the hospital gave me semolina. I'm squeamish; words like 'soggy' freak me out and semolina didn't look like anything you were supposed to put in your mouth. This nurse left it there for hours, right in front of my nose, to try to force me to eat it. I've never forgotten it.
What else reminds you of childhood?
Corned beef, new potatoes, peas and brown sauce. I love the coldness of the beef against the hotness of the potatoes, and the peas just set it off.
What healthy foods do you like?
Since I gave up smoking, I've become bonkers about apples. I wasn't feeling very well at one point, and I think it was because I was eating terribly. I went to the doctor and he actually asked, "when was the last time you ate an apple?"
Do you cook much?
No. I work away a lot, so I eat at hotels and restaurants. When I am at home, I'm often filming, so I only have a few hours to eat, sleep and learn lines. My wife, Diana, is a great cook, but often she's not there either. We don't have that kind of regular life where you come home and have your dinner.
What's film-set catering like?
Astonishing, because it's done under the most ridiculous conditions. I was up a mountain a while ago, above the snow line in Vancouver, doing
a vampire movie, and they asked me if I wanted a rocket, balsamic vinegar and Parmesan salad. In a blizzard!
And they feed 600 people, three times a day! What they do is incredible.
Bill Nighy is in 'Stormbreaker', in cinemas now.