“And it was a radically daunting prospect to stand in his shadow.
His legacy is very meaningful to people, and that was not something to play around with lightly.
The hubris of even choosing to do that could take you down.”
David Bowie in ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’.Studiocanal/REX/Shutterstock
“What does that metastasize into, and who do you become?
We’re writing an entirely new character.
And that’s what made it something worth doing for us.”
Bill Nighy as Thomas Newton in ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’.Aimee Spinks/SHOWTIME
Still, the challenge of finding someone to play that new character remained an immense one.
“He was channeling something about that performance, but also, he was doing his own thing.
And Bill would tell you himself that he really, really wanted to honor Bowie and his performance.”
He’s another iconic figure, really, to carry on the mantle of Thomas Jerome Newton.
The Man Who Fell to Earthairs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Showtime.
