Soldier turned actor reflects on career change

A man who left the Army after 25 years to become a supporting actor in films says he has no regrets about his change of career.

Nick Hayman, from Weston-super-Mare, served with the Queen's Company in London, with his first experience of film work in the 1990s, when productions would use real soldiers to fill in as extras.

Since then, he has appeared on screen with actors like Sir Anthony Hopkins, Harrison Ford and Pierce Brosnan.

He said his long career with the Army is what allowed him "to now go off and do these fantastic, wonderful, interesting days filming on various productions".

Brought up in Cleeve, Mr Hayman went to Backwell School, before leaving to join the Army when he was 17-years-old.

Speaking to BBC Radio Bristol, Mr Hayman said film sets were actually remarkably similar to military situations.

"To me, it's like being back in the military. You're told what time to turn up, what to wear, what to do when you get there.

"The director is like the commanding officer, and it filters down the ranks to us," he said.

Mr Hayman's first film was Patriot Games, filmed in November 1991, and during which he ended up next to star of the film, Harrison Ford.

"We did a dry rehearsal, no cameras, it was the first time I would be getting close to Harrison Ford," he said.

"I came running up the road, with my fixed bayonet, and I had to stop, standing over him and he said to me 'hey, I didn't order a nose pick'."

Mr Hayman said he ended up with with two lines in the film.

"I explained to the director there were rules of engagement, and to make the film more authentic... I would have to give a verbal warning before I started attacking with my bayonet," he added.

After serving a full career in the Grenadier Guards, Mr Hayman left the Army and started looking at opportunities with agencies employing supporting artists.

Some of those included featuring in His Dark Materials - during which he was a whaler fighting a CGI polar bear. He has also starred in the James Bond film Golden Eye, Band of Brothers and most recently Disney's Rivals.

In 2017, he had another close encounter with a screen legend, Sir Anthony Hopkins, while filming King Lear at Dover castle.

"It would seem that every time I was having a crafty cigarette, Anthony Hopkins would arrive in his chauffer driven car," he said.

"He'd come over and have a chat, and I'm telling him I was ex-Grenadier Guards.

"On the fourth day of filming, his character dies... three actors had to lift him up and put him on a trolley.

"I heard him say 'I need some extra support on my lower back when you're lifting me, where's that Grenadier guardsman, he is a big lad?'

"I stepped forward and got a nod and a wink from an actor to come out of the crowd and carry Anthony Hopkins to a trolley," Mr Hayman said.

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