James Nesbitt entertained the cast of ‘Babylon’ "on every occasion possible".
The 50-year-old actor’s director John S. Baird has revealed the Northern Irish star kept his co-stars from getting bored during breaks on the set of the British comedy/drama by singing Boys’ Brigade songs, and it led to the pair forming a great friendship.
John exclusively told BANG Showbiz: "I rate James very highly, I would say me and James have become very good friends since doing ‘Babylon’.
"We had quite a similar upbringing and funnily enough we were both in The Boys’ Brigade when we were younger and we found out coincidentally.
"You get bored on set when they’re taking a while and James had been, as usual, entertaining the crew on every occasion possible.
"He was marching around his office and singing these Boys’ Brigade tunes and nobody knew what he was going on about … it’s not that common anymore … and I started joining in with some of the songs and we really clicked.
"I’ve kept in contact with him probably more than anyone else in the show so I hope to work with him again."
The ‘Filth’ director admits she tries to be a "big brother or uncle" figure to actors and actresses when he is helming a TV series or a movie because he thinks stars would "lose all respect" for him if he ever adopted a hard-line approach.
He added: "I have a really good relationship with the actors on set, I really do. I try to be as much help as possible.
"You’ve almost got to be a big brother or an uncle, a paternal guiding figure, when it comes to directing. You’ve got to look after them and I really like that dynamic.
"You just can’t have a hard-line approach. Maybe if you did it then it would last for a day and they would lose all respect for you."
‘Babylon’ is out now on Blu-Ray and DVD courtesy of Entertainment One.
James Nesbitt serenaded Babylon cast
