Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
  • TotalFilm
  • Edge
  • Newsarama
  • Retrogamer
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • More
    • PS5
    • Xbox Series X
    • Nintendo Switch
    • Nintendo Switch 2
    • PC
    • Platforms
    • Tabletop Gaming
    • Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Newsletters
    • About us
    • Features
Trending
  • Best Netflix Movies
  • Movie Release Dates
  • Best movies on Disney Plus
  • Best Netflix Shows
Don't miss these
A screenshot from Pokopia of a ghostly Pikachu called Peakychu
Adventure Games Pokopia's new Pikachu form was dubbed "unfortunate Pikachu" by co-dev Koei Tecmo, but it comes from a place of love
Pokemon Red and Blue key art
Pokemon "We had no idea this would be such a phenomenon": As Pokemon Red and Blue turn 30, here's how Game Freak created one of the most important RPGs of all time
Pokemon Red and Blue key art
Pokemon Pokemon boss has a very straightforward plan for future releases: "keep making fun games"
Photo of the Pokemon Rescue team helping someone with a Pokemon transfer at the Pokemon Europe International Championships 2026.
Pokemon Meet the real-life Pokemon Rescue team determined to save fans' old friends from their retro cartridge jail
3D Jigglypuff smiling at the camera from a real recording studio
Pokemon The Pokemon Super Bowl trailer didn't give fans the Gen 10 tease they wanted, but a rundown of celebs' fave pocket pals
Ash Ketchum and team hoisting a Pokemon championship trophy
Pokemon Pokemon boss says while making "the next game," he's driven by how the series "has the power to connect the world"
A Reggie Fils-Aimé puppet from Nintendo's E3 2015 presentation.
Pokemon Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aimé had to deal with retailers "upset" there weren't enough copies of Pokemon in his first week
A suspicious-looking Charizard looks at a Ditto Snorlax plush
Toys & Collectibles Gripped with Pokemon Pokopia fever? You need to see these delightfully derpy Ditto toys
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies A Nintendo Nostradamus somehow predicted Donald Glover's Yoshi casting in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie over a year ago
Pokemon Pokopia screenshot showing Charmander, Bulbasaur, and Squirtle all gathered around a Ditto in human form between two green trees
Adventure Games Pokopia feeds Mystery Dungeon fans as the life sim's devs "really focused" on conveying each one's "unique personality"
Screenshot from Pokemon Winds and Waves' reveal trailer, showing two tanned Pikachus dressed in holiday outfits while standing in front of a lush ocean.
Pokemon Pokemon Winds and Waves trailer impresses, but fans are ripping into new Pikachu characters Mr. Windychu and Ms. Wavychu
Image of a hand petting a Pokeball with Pikachu showing on a display screen.
Toys & Collectibles This Pokemon Tamagotchi-style toy lets you pet Pikachu, and I need it to release outside of Japan
A screenshot from the Pokemon Pokopia trailer shows Ditto transformed into a human.
Pokemon 13 things I wish I knew before starting Pokemon Pokopia
Five Nights at Freddy's 2
Tabletop Gaming Mckenna Grace opens Pokemon cards at the Oscars, and it's one hell of a vibe
Pokemon
Pokemon I've been playing Pokemon for 27 years – these are my 7 Pokemon Day predictions for the 2026 celebrations
  1. Entertainment
  2. Movies

Bill Nighy: 'You can guess how much I knew about Pokemon before I did Detective Pikachu'

News
By Rachel Weber published 6 February 2019

Actor and national treasure on his introduction to the gaming phenomenon

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

Bill Nighy has a role in the upcoming Detective Pikachu movie. He just can't tell you what is. He can tell our sister magazine Total Film all about discovering Pokemon for the first time though, and what he did with his Pokedex.

"You can guess how much I knew about Pokemon before I did the movie," he tells Total Film in the latest issue. "I know a bit more now. I met the head of Pokemon, the seventh richest man in the world, I think, and the man who drew all the Pokemon. And I bought the Pokedex, which is a fabulous book, actually. It was great fun."

Nighy kindly sent his copy of the sacred Pokemon tome to "a small boy in Canada" and now almost regrets it. "It’s such a beautiful book. It’s got a plastic ball in the cover, with a Pikachu inside. I got very interested in the thing. In fact, I have two decorative panels made of plaster, to look like stone, with classical figures next to Pokemon figures. They look like ancient Grecian works of art. They were on the set and I admired them, so they gave them to me. I’m the only person in the world who has these things. I might have to Ebay them for charity or something."

You may like
  • A screenshot from Pokopia of a ghostly Pikachu called Peakychu Pokopia's new Pikachu form was dubbed "unfortunate Pikachu" by co-dev Koei Tecmo, but it comes from a place of love
  • Pokemon Red and Blue key art "We had no idea this would be such a phenomenon": As Pokemon Red and Blue turn 30, here's how Game Freak created one of the most important RPGs of all time
  • Pokemon Red and Blue key art Pokemon boss has a very straightforward plan for future releases: "keep making fun games"

Unlike fellow actor Ryan Reynolds, who plays Pikachu, Nighy has to use his own face for his role. "I’m a live-action character, but I’m not at liberty to tell you who." In fact, he's one of several stars in the film with an intriguing blank space next to their names in the cast list: Assassination Nation's Suki Waterhouse and singer Rita Ora are also playing classified characters.

Detective Pikachu will be released May 10, and you can read more about it in this month's Total Film magazine.  

(Image credit: Disney/Total Film)

Subscribe to Total Film magazine now and you’ll never miss an issue (and you'll save money on the cover price). Get the digital version for your tablet or have an exclusive subs cover through your door every month - or save even more with a print/digital bundle! Grab your first issue FREE direct from Apple Newsstand. Or read our Android version on Google Play. 

Sign up for the Total Film Newsletter

Bringing all the latest movie news, features, and reviews to your inbox

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
Rachel Weber
Rachel Weber
Social Links Navigation
Contributor

Rachel Weber is the former US Managing Editor of GamesRadar+ and lives in Brooklyn, New York. She joined GamesRadar+ in 2017, revitalizing the news coverage and building new processes and strategies for the US team.

Read more
A screenshot from Pokopia of a ghostly Pikachu called Peakychu
Adventure Games Pokopia's new Pikachu form was dubbed "unfortunate Pikachu" by co-dev Koei Tecmo, but it comes from a place of love
 
 
Pokemon Red and Blue key art
Pokemon "We had no idea this would be such a phenomenon": As Pokemon Red and Blue turn 30, here's how Game Freak created one of the most important RPGs of all time
 
 
Pokemon Red and Blue key art
Pokemon Pokemon boss has a very straightforward plan for future releases: "keep making fun games"
 
 
Photo of the Pokemon Rescue team helping someone with a Pokemon transfer at the Pokemon Europe International Championships 2026.
Pokemon Meet the real-life Pokemon Rescue team determined to save fans' old friends from their retro cartridge jail
 
 
3D Jigglypuff smiling at the camera from a real recording studio
Pokemon The Pokemon Super Bowl trailer didn't give fans the Gen 10 tease they wanted, but a rundown of celebs' fave pocket pals
 
 
Ash Ketchum and team hoisting a Pokemon championship trophy
Pokemon Pokemon boss says while making "the next game," he's driven by how the series "has the power to connect the world"
 
 
Latest in Movies
Ryan Gosling as Ryland Grace in Project Hail Mary
Sci-Fi Movies Project Hail Mary directors say Steven Spielberg pitched that Close Encounters Easter egg
 
 
Anthony Mackie in Captain America: Brave New World
Marvel Movies Marvel fans discuss their wishlists for Captain America 5, and the top choice is “competent writing and dialogue
 
 
Princess Peach and Toad in The Super Mario Galaxy Movie
Animated Movies The Super Mario Galaxy Movie might actually be making a years-long fan theory about Rosalina and Princess Peach canon
 
 
Ezra Miller as Barry Allen in The Flash
DC Movies Over 10 years later, Spider-Verse's Phil Lord and Chris Miller still want to make their "very elaborate" Flash movie
 
 
Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse
Marvel Movies Spider-Verse duo Phil Lord and Chris Miller reveal they were offered a live-action movie in the Spider-Man universe:
 
 
Maui (Dwayne Johnson) in Moana (2026)
Live Action Movies Moana director Thomas Kail on bringing Dwayne Johnson's demigod to life for the live-action remake's new trailer
 
 
Latest in News
A Crimson Desert character goes fishing in a river
Open World Games Crimson Desert "does rivers better" than Red Dead Redemption 2, says former Rockstar artist
 
 
Holly Hunter as Captain Ake in Starfleet Academy.
Sci-Fi Shows Star Trek: Starfleet Academy has been canceled 11 days after its season 1 finale and will end with season 2
 
 
Coup box on a wooden table
Tabletop Gaming This party card game feels like Dune crossed with Game of Thrones, and I'm obsessed
 
 
Luffy smiling and breaking apart some wooden floor boards during the anime One Piece.
Anime Shows One Piece remake will have "flawless pacing" and aims to fix creator Eiichiro Oda's one "regret"
 
 
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Vincent D'Onofrio hopes to fight Spider-Man "if Sony and Marvel ever get their s*** together"
 
 
Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
Marvel TV Shows Daredevil star says Punisher isn't in Born Again season 2 because Jon Bernthal is busy "hangin with that insect"
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. Vincent D'Onofrio as Wilson Fisk in Daredevil: Born Again
    1
    Despite "complicated rights issues", Kingpin actor Vincent D'Onofrio hopes he gets to fight Spider-Man someday: "If Sony and Marvel ever get their s*** together maybe"
  2. 2
    My Hero Academia Ultimate codes (March 2026) for Coins, Skill Boxes, and more
  3. 3
    Pokemon Pokopia once again overtakes Resident Evil Requiem on Metacritic as the best game of 2026, with a score of 90 that's going to be hard to beat
  4. 4
    "GURL IT'S HAPPENING": A Shadowheart Nendoroid figure is on the way, and Baldur's Gate 3 fans are losing it
  5. 5
    Daredevil star goes full Kingpin as he says Punisher isn't in Born Again season 2 because Jon Bernthal is busy "hangin with that insect"

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...