Colin Firth and his wife Livia were in Paris last night for the French premiere of The King’s Speech. Have you seen it yet???
As you know, Firth is, at present, the favourite to win Best Actor, even though we’re still 3 weeks away from nomination day. Things can change, anything can change, but there is no question, on this performance he is worthy of it, and on reputation and career accomplishment, he certainly has earned it. So he has both boxes checked over Franco and Eisenberg, said to be his closest competitors.
What I love about Colin is that he’s not so up his own ass that he’d bother pretending that he wouldn’t want it. Of course he wants it. He’s happy his film is being recognised, and he won’t be a dick if he doesn’t win, but he’s not fronting all nonchalant about the possibility either. It’s genuine. And he’s very realistic about the fact that this time, this time of praise, it’s also rather fleeting:
“I am not taking anything for granted. I think if you wish something like this away, all this attention and all these events – dressing up and being around beautiful and elegant people – it’ll be gone soon enough. It’s not guaranteed for life and I think both Livia and I are pretty good at just enjoying it while it lasts. The downs will be back. There’s absolutely no other possibility. You have to really, really enjoy the ¬moment. I’ve had a couple of meaty roles in a row and I certainly do not take that for granted. I don’t know if it’s going to come round again any time soon so it is a wonderful moment.”
Perfect. Not overly profound or descriptive, he is appreciative, he is realistic, he is EXCITED, and it just is.
Colin attributes some of this attitude to what life is at home:
“I do lead a very boring life but family is the secret. But I’m not romanticising about my family as this wonderful, serene, grounded environment. In fact it’s mayhem. It doesn’t matter how people are reacting to you anywhere else, if you’ve got small children it’s up to you to deal with it and, you know, they are the divas. You can’t say to them, ‘You better behave yourself or I’m going to call my agent’.”
I can actually hear him saying that. If I heard him say that in front of my face I would giggle like a fangirly twit. He’s terribly, terribly funny. In the hot ass way that British men are drily funny.
Anyway, these quotes are from a good interview with The Mirror. He talks about how he played Bertie, and about how he fell in love with his wife, and about the royal reaction to the film. Not a bad read. Click here.
Bertie, of course, had a stammer and the story of his struggle to speak in public is The King’s Speech. In real life though, Helena Bonham Carter says that Colin can’t shut the hell up. In fact, he and Geoffrey Rush both:
"I did find it funny that as soon as the camera was turned on he'd have difficulty speaking [playing a stammerer] but as soon as it's off, honestly, he just talks for Britain! They talk non-stop so it was kind of hard to concentrate. They're both amazing - they should have their own chat show!"
He just talks for Britain is my new favourite expression.
Colin Firth is a talker.
And thought process by association, the first thing that comes to mind when I hear “he’s a talker” is the inverse “I’m not a talker, I’m not a talker”.
Pop quiz and don’t look down! Where’s that from?
This is an example of the small, small, small improv-y things that Vince Vaughn does that make a funny movie a funnier movie every time you watch it.
Best Man Speech From Old School
Jonny Dee Williams | Myspace Video
Photos from Wenn.com and Pascal Le Segretain/Gettyimages.com
