Colin Firth says he almost turned down ‘Pride and Prejudice’ role

LONDON - ‘Pride and Prejudice’ star Colin Firth has revealed that he almost turned down the part that made him a household name.

The actor said that he thought himself ‘wrong’ for the role of Mr Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s ‘Pride and Prejudice’.

“I couldn’t see there was anything to play because the character doesn’t speak most of the time. I thought this is just a guy who stands around for hours driving people to despair,” the Telegraph quoted him as speaking at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts on Tuesday night.

Firth was in conversation with the film journalist Francine Stock as part of the ‘Alfred Dunhill BAFTA: A Life in Pictures series’.

Firth disclosed how he repeatedly turned down the role before realising that it would mean someone else would do it.

He accepted the part after becoming “struck by a bout of jealously”. I suddenly felt very territorial about it,” he said.

The 50-year-old also explained how friends and family ‘pleaded’ with him not to take the part which gave him his first BAFTA Television Award nomination for best actor.

“The producer was the only person on the planet who was convinced that I could play the role. I was bombarded with pleas not to take the part. People said ‘no you can’t because he’s supposed to be sexy and dark’,” Firth said.

“But if you read the book there is no physical description of him except that he is tall,” the star of ‘Love Actually’ added,” the star of ‘Love Actually’ concluded. (ANI)