The Oscar-nominated film star said he applied to Guildford acting school to impress a girl.
To enter this educational institution, he had to prepare two works for the entrance exam – one by a modern dramatist and the other by Shakespeare.
Together with his friend, as the actor admitted, they stole all Shakespeare’s works that were in the library.
“We also stole all the works of George Bernard Shaw, which we thought were works by a contemporary author,” Nye told the BBC.
“We could have been raised to read like all the other subscribers do, but for some reason we decided to develop a criminal mindset,” said Nye, 74.
He also said that while he was studying in a pub with his friend, he accidentally learned two women’s texts.
So, he knew the role of Eliza Dooley from B. Shaw’s play “Pygmalion” and the role of Cesario in Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night“, without realizing that it was the role of Viola, a woman who charged as a man.
Despite the hearing panel being “a little confused” by his interpretation of the text, Nye is said to have been invited to return to the entrance exams “with more suitable material”. Later it was accepted there.
Nye said that the girl he was trying to like had applied to study at this drama school.
“She could have said she wanted to be an astronaut and I would have tried the same thing,” he admitted.
During his career, Nye has appeared in two Shakespeare plays – “The Taming of the Shrew” at the Gateway Theater in Chester, as well as, with Sir Anthony Hopkins, in “King Lear” at the House -National play in London.
Nighy, whose best and most popular film roles include Life, Emma, Pirates of the Caribbean and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, said in an interview:
“After that I left Shakespeare. No one noticed, but I thought to myself that I could not stand it any longer, as I am not particularly interested in Shakespeare’s work.”
“I understand that he is the greatest poet the world has ever known, but I will leave his portrait to other actors.”
