Colin Firth says the James Bond ship has “sailed,” and adds that “there is an age limit” to 007, much to the dismay of his loyal followers who were hoping that maybe the hunky Brit could possibly take over when Daniel Craig is done.
However, all is not lost as Firth stars in Kingsman: The Secret Service , in which the Oscar winner plays a James Bond sort of character with a twist. The spy action film is based on the popular comic book by Mark Millar, and tells the story of a veteran secret agent who leads a young protégé (Taron Egerton) into the dangerous world of espionage.
The veteran actor told SFX magazine in November of 2014 that he jumped at the chance to play Harry Hart because he realized that he would never be James Bond, even though it has been a long-time wish of his. When Matthew Vaughn approached him for Kingsman , he didn’t think twice, and admitted the director only asked him because it was surprising.
“Matthew likes to take your presumptions about people and then flip them on their head. So he came to me and said, ‘I think you’re the last person on Earth anybody would expect to kick anyone’s ass so I think it would be a big surprise. But I would like you to do it, so are you up for it?’”
Colin Firth is adored by millions of women for his roles in romantic period pieces such as the 1995 Pride and Prejudice miniseries, in which he portrayed the iconic Mr. Darcy, and rom-coms such as the Bridget Jones series. He really has not done a lot of action films in the vein of James Bond, and Vaughn gave him the chance to portray a character such as the ones he grew up watching.
“I think to a very large extent, in terms of style, the character of the spy movies I fell in love with has its roots in the 60s. It’s The Man From U.N.C.L.E , it’s the Harry Palmer films, it’s John Steed’s Avengers and those early Bond films.”
“It’s the guy in the suit who seems slick and cool and capable and is very, very contained but you cross him at your peril. He’ll get you with the umbrella or a slick move or a gadget or something. It was all that.”
If you were one of Colin Firth’s fans who was hoping to see him as James Bond, you should definitely catch Kingsman: The Secret Service , opening in the U.S. on February 13.
[Image via 20th Century Fox]