Bill Nighy reveals the adorable reason he took a tiny toy rabbit to the Oscars

‘My granddaughter’s schedule intensified and I was charged with rabbit-sitting responsibilities,’ star said

Bill Nighy has finally explained why he was carrying a little toy bunny on the Oscars red carpet on Sunday (12 March).

The 73-year-old star made a point of directing photographers’ attention to the rabbit, which appeared to be from the Sylvanian Families range.

Nighy, who was nominated in the Best Actor category for his role in Living, has now revealed that the curio was his granddaughter’s.

“My granddaughter’s schedule intensified and I was charged with rabbit-sitting responsibilities,” Nighy said in a statement to Metro.

“I wasn’t prepared to leave her unattended in a hotel room. The stakes are too high. Where I go, she goes...”

Would you expect any less from Nighy?

The Guardian notes that the Love Actually star was holding a member of the Babblebrook family, “a design classic that was included in the original Sylvanian Families launch in the mid-1980s but is now unavailable”.

Bill Nighy poses with his grandaughters Sylvanian rabbit at the Oscars (REUTERS)

Sylvanian Families was created by a Japanese gaming company in the 1980s and has become wildly popular for their anthropomorphic, plastic figurines.

Nighy was lauded for his role in Living as a bureaucrat who is diagnosed with terminal cancer, and is spurred on to finally embrace life after dedicating all his time to work.

The film was adapted by famed British-Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro (Klara and the Sun) from Akira Kurosawa’s Japanese film Ikiru into a London-set drama.

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Ahead of the Oscars, Ishiguro recalled the “eureka” moment that led to Nighy’s casting.

On the night, of course, Nighy was pipped at the post by The Whale star Brendan Fraser whose Hollywood comeback story captivated the industry and fans alike.

For a full list of this year’s winners, click here.