Modest but private Oscar winner Colin Firth doesn't see himself as an action star, but he's most definitely part of Hollywood's upper crust now
SALLY MORRIS
A British man glides to his chair, the clean-cut sweater and collared shirt combination highlighting his noticeably trim physique and glowing complexion. Colin Firth — aka everyone’s favorite Mr. Darcy — has arrived.
The dapper 51 year-old is in the midst of promoting the release of his latest film, “Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy,” a Cold War spy thriller based on John le Carre’s best selling novel. Firth plays a MI6 agent who may or may not have been a mole for Kremlin while working in Scotland Yard in 1973.
But don’t expect this tale of international intrigue be anything like a James Bond film or something from the Bourne series.
“I love the 'Bourne' films and I think if you love the 'Bourne' films it doesn't mean that you can't love this,” Firth says.
There are many things that distinguish subtle “Tinker, Tailor” from the typical tale of betrayal on an international level, which might be why it’s earning so much advanced praise by the critics.
“It’s not about macho effectiveness or hard bitten heroism,” Firth says. “It’s actually much more about fragility and loneliness and disappointed idealism. These men are seen to be broken, all of them, on some level.”
As open as he was to discuss the film, Firth was less forthcoming on other topics. Being awarded the best actor Oscar for “The King’s Speech” last year has clearly freed the actor to demand privacy regarding his personal life.
“Most of it is none of your business,” he says gently. “I don’t mean that rudely.”
But what we really wanted to know was what life is like after winning an Oscar. Firth obliged by saying that although the offers to star in an action film are non-existent, there has been pressure from some in his camp to expand the scope of his projects.
“I'd have to admit that, yeah, there have been certain people around me who think it'd be a good time to get a bit richer,” he said. “But not as much as you might think … I don't think that people consider me to be an incredibly valuable financially really.”
Would Colin Firth make a good spy? By Colin Firth
“No. No. If you are a good actor, there are certain skills that apply to spying like being deceitful, subterfuge, being able to second guess other peoples motives, being forensic about other peoples lives while they do what they do. But you also have to have a great deal of physical courage in the face peril and I don’t [know many actors who] would be great candidates in the face of having a gun pointed at you
Metro US
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