JAAPBUITENDIJK
pennedthescreenplay(with frequentcollabora-
torJaneGoldman)and insistingtheactorspend
sixmonthstraining inkung fuandThaiboxingand
studyingwithOlympicathletesandveteranstuntmen
before“action”wouldeverbecalled.Firth,whosays
his lifebefore
Kingsman
was“devoutlynonathletic,”
relishedthefilm’sactionsequences,whichallowed
himto“actwithtempoand intention,”resting fora
momenthismorecerebralapproachtothecraft.
“Ifyouareapersonwho is inclinedtooverthink,
there’snothing likethesheeradrenalinerush—and
the immediacyandthepain, forthatmatter—of just
leaping intoanactionsequence.There’snothingnebu-
lousaboutthrowingapunch. Itworksor itdoesn’t,”
Firthsays. “Inacting, the jurycanbeout foreveron
whetheryounailedasceneornot.Everythinggets
amixedreview ifyousearch longenough,but inan
actionsequence,youeither jumpedhighenoughoryou
didn’t.Fortunately, thistypeofwork isall todowith
applicationandnotnaturalability, soIwasabletoget
bywithoutbeingdoubled. Ididchipatooth, though.”
“IhavealwayssensedthatColinmightgetviolent,”
deadpansOscar-nominatedwriter/directorRichard
Curtis,whoworkedwiththeactoron
LoveActually
and
theBridgetJonesfilms,amongotherprojects. “There
wasan incidentoncewithataxidriver.And it’sarelief
thathe’sunleashing itonmovie [villains]—andnot
onme.”
OscarwinnerGeoreyRush,whobecamepalswith
Firthonthesetof
Shakespeare inLove
andco-starred
withhim in
TheKing’sSpeech
, sayshe’snotthe least
bitsurprisedFirth isnowa lethalweapon,on-screenat
least. “I’vealwaysthoughttherewerehiddenunder-
currents inthatpopularDarcypersona.He’sseemed
forevertobeanonstopheartthrob,butcheckouthis
CV, it’spepperedwithwildandwonderfulaberrations,”
saysRush,whowillnextbeseen intheAustralian
independentfilm
TheDaughter
. “Asanactor,Colin
knowsoneverybeatwheretoapplytheblowtorch,or
thesenseofamanadrift.”
INMANYWAYS,
Firthhasspenthisentire life
preparing fortheroleof internationalmanofmystery.
Hailing froma long lineofglobe-trottingeducators
andmissionaries,Firthspenthischildhoodcross-
ingoceans, fromNigeriatoEnglandtoAmericaand
back.The“turbulence”and“lackofroots”ofFirth’s
peripateticyouthsurelycontributedtohischosen
profession,given itsnomadic lifestyle. “Idon’tknow
if thingswouldhavegonethewaytheywenthadInot
hadachildhood likethat. Ialways felt likeanoutsider
growingup—whichI’msureactorsneversay,”he
laughs. “ButIalso feel,obviously,veryenrichedbythe
wayIwasbroughtup. Itwasaveryunusualprivilege.
Iwas, invery formativeyears,abletoseea lotof the
worldandthemanydierentwayspeoplecanbehave
andbelieveandrelate.”
Accruing frequent-flyermilesalsocultivated inthe
youngmanasensethatweare interconnected, that
compassionandgenerosityarekeyto livinga fulfill-
ingexistence.Throughtheyears,Firthhassupported
Greenpeace,AmnestyInternationalandOxfam
International.He’salsorallied forAboriginalrights.
And, severalyearsago,Firthandhiswife,whometona
SouthAmericanfilmset in1996,openedEcoAge,
aChiswick-areashopcarryinghigh-endenvironmen-
tally friendlyproducts.Theshop’sbuilding isalso
solar-poweredandentirelyself-sustainable.
“It’sveryhardtoput it inawaythatdoesn’tsound
likeaself-helpbook,butgiving isawayofsteppingout-
sideyourselfabit,andthere’sgottobesomewisdom
inthat,”hesays.
Sucharamblingupbringingalsooften felt lonely,
Firthsays,whichhetookasan invitationtodisappear
intocharactersandstorytelling—andhisown imagi-
nation.Onhisvisitstothecinema,he favoredactors
likeSpencerTracy,PeterO’TooleandPaulScofield.
Films like
TheWizardofOz
,
OnHerMajesty’sSecret
SPYMAN:
Firth’s
HarryHart takesona
groupof hooligans
in
Kingsman:
TheSecretService
.
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