Bill Nighy never wanted a son.
The 63-year-old movie veteran has one daughter - Mary, 29 - from his previous relationship with Diana Quick and he admitted he "actively" wished for a baby girl.
He told the Sunday Telegraph newspaper's Seven magazine: "When she was growing up she'd say, 'You wanted a boy, didn't you?' I'd say, 'No!' And I really didn't - I actively didn't want a boy!
"I thought, let's fill the house with women as far as I was concerned. But she thought I was keeping something from her.
"She would occasionally sit down in front of a football game with me and say, 'Do we like the red ones or the blue ones?' "
The 'About Time' actor's 27-year romance with Mary's mother ended in 2008 and the star insisted he is "very happy" living on his own - although he would love to buy a pooch to keep him company.
He added: "I'm very happy on my own. The one thing I do feel I might have to do is, I don't think I can get through the rest of my life without a dog. Which means I'll have to move, because I can't have a dog where I am.
"You're supposed to move into the country, aren't you? You get to a certain age, you're supposed to move to the country. No parties. A big fire. A dog. A reasonable television so that I can watch football ... Near the kettle."
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