Colin Firth is fielding
NOW’s eager questions on the subject of him baring all for steamy sex
scenes in his new movie Where The Truth Lies. He’d probably
rather
talk about the film’s gritty plot—he plays Vince, whose showbiz
partnership is destroyed by an unexplained death. Matters only
come to
a head years later when a journalist uncovers the incident and becomes
sexually and emotionally involved. But, for now, back to that
on-screen nudity...
‘It’s very hard to reach the end of your life as an actor without
getting your kit off,’ says Colin, who turns 45 on 10 September, ‘but
it’s not my favourite thing. Some people hate it, others would
positively enjoy it, but, at best, I find it a little weird.
‘You come to work, have breakfast, shake hands, take your clothes off,
leap on top of a gorgeous-looking actress and pretend to have sex with
her. I was relieved not to be there for more of it, to be
honest. By
the time I’d started, the film set had been closed to visitors and my
co-star Kevin Bacon had been humping away for about a week. So
they
were like veterans and the film crew were yawning. When I walked
on,
all ready to go, with a flesh-coloured pouch covering my privates, no
one took any interest.’
And
what’s the reaction of
his wife, Italian documentary maker Livia Giuggioli, with whom he has
two sons Luca, four, and Mateo, two? ‘She’s alright—I think,’ he
says. ‘Anyone who’s married to an actor has to get used to it
happening a lot. She knows what’s real—or not—so she’s cool about
it.
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‘Whatever people
say, what’s happening on screen has nothing to do with your personal
feelings towards the actress. I’ve been on film sets where
couples have to make love and all the critics later rave about their
“chemistry”. But they actually disliked each other—and the only
thing we were seeing was good acting.’
But Colin is uncertain as to what audiences will think of Where The
Truth Lies when they see it later this year. ‘I’m not even sure
who this film is pitched at,’ he says. ‘I never think along those
lines. I’ve been working away at edgy stuff for years and it
doesn’t seem to get noticed. But things like Darcy stick to your
skin.’
However, Colin isn’t running down his famous role. ‘It came like
a time bomb, just waiting to go off,’ he says. ‘But I nearly
turned it down because I couldn’t have been more wrong for the
role. I’m totally unlike Darcy. I talk a lot, I don’t own a
horse and I don’t have a wonderful home in Derbyshire. I’m a
secondary modern schoolkid who doesn’t belong to nobility.
‘I was saying: “He’s this taciturn, sexy guy—and that’s just not
me.” The only thing we shared was nationality. But the time
had come for another costume drama—and Darcy was noticed.’
So, was Colin glad that he took the plunge? ‘I’m proud of it and
grateful,’ he says. ‘It’s something that people remember
fondly—and they remember me for that role. I wouldn’t have been
in two Bridget Jones films without Darcy. I did find the
publicity a bit of a shock at the time, but I take the sensible view:
“Where would I be without it?”
Even he was surprised at the runaway success of Bridget Jones’s
Diary. ‘It wasn’t conceived as a blockbuster,’ he says.
‘Everyone was nervous. There’d been a lot of criticism about
having an American actress like Renée Zellweger playing Bridget
and me reprising Mr Darcy. Everything was insane.
‘But the second Bridget film, last year, was completely
different. We all knew that Renée worked well and that
audiences accepted me playing Mark Darcy like Mr Darcy. There was
also a lot more money behind it. I find that in film-making
nothing comes with assurances. There’s always a risk—and things
can go wrong at any time.’
But Colin has a down-to-earth view of fame. ‘Once you’re a
celebrity, it seems that you don’t play by the same rules as the rest
of society,’ he says. ‘People will be nice to you all day long
for no other reason than that they’ve seen you in movies. So you
need to find something other than your fame to give you strength and
some meaning to your life. Otherwise you can end up in rehab—or
worse. A lot of people fall apart because they get too much of
it. Those are the people who, when I look back, had nothing more
than celebrity going to keep them going.’
What’s kept Colin so sane? ‘My family, my wife and children and a
handful of close friends,’ he replies. ‘If I get less money and
less fame, it doesn’t matter to me.’
Colin also has a teenage son William from a relationship with American
actress Meg Tilly, with whom he co-starred in the 1989 film
Valmont. ‘We have great relationship and I see him a lot,’ he
says.
‘I’ve never been an enormous star. The tragedy can be that when
you’ve had a career that’s soared, there’s nowhere to go but to
fall. The stakes are so high.
‘I’ve also done plenty of things that haven’t worked. That old
phrase about learning from your mistakes is true. My best work
has come after something has failed.’
Colin will next be seen on screen co-starring with Emma Thompson in
Nanny McPhee, set to be released on 21 October. [Note: UK only]
The children’s story about magic couldn’t be more different from Where
The Truth Lies.
‘It’s very hard to talk about Emma Thompson without making people
vomit,’ he says. ‘She’s an intellectual with enormous talent as a
writer and actress. She also takes care of people on the film
set, is a wonderful mother and is heavily involved in charity
work. And she doesn’t trumpet any of this.
‘So I’d have to say that working with her is the easiest thing in the
world. She’ll always deliver great acting and won’t show you up.’
And has she seen him naked in Where The Truth Lies? I hope
not—for her sake,’ he says.
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