|
Interview in Good Taste Magazine, May 1999. By Michele Manelis and Sue Williams As the breeches-wearing, brooding Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, he won hearts the world over. But Colin Firth, who has also starred in The English Patient and Shakespeare In Love, just wants to be bad! For an actor widely regarded as one of the nicest in the industry, it's a strange irony that Pride and Prejudice heartthrob Colin Firth so often ends up playing the bad guy. It's no accident, however. Quite simply, Colin loves it. Whether it's a stint as the charmless Mr Darcy in the hit TV adaptation, for which he became known worldwide, or as the nasty Lord Wessex in Shakespeare In Love, he relishes the challenge. "Well, it's very easy to play someone who's disagreeable," he laughs. "Frankly, if you get a script which says, 'This man must be scintillating, captivating, suave, witty, charming', its paralysing. You think, 'Christ, can I do any of that? l'm going to be judged the minute I fail. But if I fail to be dull, that's great. 'No, Colin is still too charming, still too interesting.' You can take that criticism!" He laughs again. "I wasn't remotely intimidated by the prospect of playing Wessex - he's the guy who spoils it all - it's a piece of cake [laughs]. I had to be dim and charmless. He starts off a jerk and ends up a jerk. He's a guy who just doesn't get it" Southern England-born Colin, 38, is yet to hit the "superstar" league. While he's been feted for several outstanding performances - most notably in movies The English Patient, A Thousand Acres and Fever Pitch in which he played the lead, and his Jane Austen character won him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor - he's generally kept a lower profile. Is he seeking the big breakthrough? He smiles. "No," he says firmly. "I didn't at the beginning because I didn't think it would happen to me, and I don't now because it sort of hasn't. I think that sometimes being slightly marginalised can be a durable position. I've never been flavour of the month. But flavours of the month are high turnover, whereas people who are often second choice, they're always there. I think you can have a great dea] of joy out of this profession if you look to the left and ríght, rather than always up." It's likely, however, that Colin will soon be forced to lift his gaze upwards. Following on from Shakespeare, he also has plum parts in upcoming films My Life So Far and The Secret Laughter Of Women. Working on such worthwhile projects keeps Colin content. He doesn't want to live in the US to lobby for lead parts; he's happy in London, with wife Livia Giuggioli. And he's learned to cope with the ups and downs of his profession. "Initially, the pull was a combination of all sorts of things; the sort of atmosphere of doing a play and relationships you formed, and the exhilaration stakes are very high. You're all in it together and, if it works, that's a joy," he says. "If it doesn't, you go down together. It's intoxicating. It's like a drug that gets into you." But like drugs, there is a palpable downside to the industry. He sees it most often drawing blood from newcomers - those who have been studying acting earnestly for years, but who find reality a massive letdown. "It's a very, very distressing thing to see people who spend three years of drama school being inspired," says Colin, slowly, "and you are really fired up with this stuff and then you go out and it's nothing." "Making phone calls, begging someone to see you, seeing if you can do a walk-on in a police miniseries. Seeing these people who are given this vision of the Holy Grail suddenly crawling to be recognised just for the practicalities of earning a living.. It's terrible." The only bitterness Colin is likely to taste in his acting career, however, is the sting of his characters' tongues, as he continues to be slotted in as the colourful villain of the piece. It's a taste he clearly relishes! [Article courtesy of Jane] |
|
|
DISH OF THE MONTH