| Colin
Firth Plays The Master
Colin Firth is set
to charm viewers with his portrayal of another classic
literary character
in The Turn of the Screw.
He wooed thousands
as the dashing Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, now he's
back in period costume
to play the charismatic Master in Henry James' famous
ghost story.
"The characterisation
of the Master is very much a creation of this
adaptation. In the
book he is a presence by implication. But the young
governess is so
motivated by her feelings for him that we have tried to
establish that relationship
in this adaptation," explains Colin.
"It is one of the
most argued over books of this century. Are the ghosts
real, or is the
governess psychotic. The Master manipulates this girl and
tries to make use
of what he perceives as his power to exploit her
vulnerability."
But he admits he
is not a fan of watching costume drama.
"Despite my reputation
for costume drama, I am not drawn to watching it on
television. But
I have not steered away from it as a result of playing
Darcy. I don't want
to be held hostage to that. If I am offered something
irresistible, and
it means wearing a costume like Darcy's, then I will do
it," says Colin.
"In some ways there
is more artifice in wearing modern dress than period
costume. If I am
putting on breeches, I know I am putting on a costume. If I
am putting on jeans
and a t-shirt for a role you have to be more specific.
They're not my jeans
and t-shirt. When we made Fever Pitch for instance we
had to decide whether
black jeans were in vogue at that time."
Colin says he certainly
found the Henry James story irresistible.
"I love The Turn
of the Screw. I love the mystery of it. When ghost stories
are told well, they
are brilliant. But they are incredibly rare. It is a
perpetually misjudged
form of story telling.
"The Turn of the
Screw is one of the models of ghost story telling. It is a
gripping portrait
of a person's psychology. The overwhelming majority of
people who attempt
such stories fall into the trap of wanting to explain
everything. The
golden rule of ghost stories is don't reveal all. And that
is the beauty of
this Henry James story."
Colin recalls reading
the book, and watching the chilling film The Haunting.
The terrifying Don't
Look Now, is one of his favourite films, he says.
"I like the mood
of a ghost story. It is perfect for a wintry night, sitting
by the fire, watching
a ghost story which gives you a chill and provokes the
imagination. If
I am here at Christmas that is what I will be watching,"says
Colin.
He says he doesn't
believe in ghosts, but admits he had some "uncanny and
inexplicable" experiences.
"When I was a teenager I dreamt up all sorts of
things, but as I've
got older I've found explanations for those
experiences."
The son of two university
lecturers, Colin spent the first four years of his
life in Nigeria,
before the family moved to England. He has a younger
brother and sister,
Jonathan and Kate, who are also actors. Inspired by his
grandmother's performances
in amateur theatre, Colin decided as a teenager
to become an actor.
He trained at the London Drama Centre. When he left he
was cast as Tommy
Judd, in the stage and screen versions of Another Country.
Colin quickly earned
a reputation for versatility and has played a wide
range of roles including
a Falklands veteran in Tumbledown, John McCarthy in
Hostages, an Arsenal
supporter in Fever Pitch, Lord Wessex in Shakespeare in
Love, and the cuckolded
officer in The English Patient.
Colin has had a busy
year making four feature films, due for release in
2000. He plays the
title role in Donovan Quick. His other films are My Life
So Far, Londinium,
and Relative Values.
He is currently starring
in Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain at the
Donmar Warehouse
with Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey.
Away from acting
Colin has developed a passionate concern for the plight of
refugees, and offers
his help to support groups all over Britain.
"The arbitrary detention
of refugees is a source of appalling shame. It is
shocking that refugees
should be arrested when they have committed no crime.
They should be treated
as heroes when they have managed to flee their own
countries and cross
several continents to find refuge,"says Colin.
Reproduced
with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction or distribution
is prohibited without
permission. |
