Colin Firth firmly established himself as a heartthrob when he starred in 1995 TV series Pride and Prejudice, but now it has been revealed that the British actor nearly missed out on the role because of his hair colour.
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© Photo: RexColin Firth played Mr Darcy in Pride and Prejudice
The BBC show's writer Andrew Davies has confessed that he was initially unconvinced by Colin, whom he described as "fairly ginger", for the role of Mr Darcy in the small screen adaptation of Jane Austen's famous novel.
"With Colin I was a bit doubtful because of his colouring at the time," he explained during an event at the BFI. "Because he didn't have those dark curls back then."
However, it was producer Sue Birtwistle who convinced Andrew that Colin was perfect for the part, and that a simple dye job could be the answer to his reservations.
© Photo: RexWriter Andrew Davies revealed the actor almost didn't get the part
"Sue was absolutely convinced that he would be wonderful but we said he had to go dark and he did go dark," he explained. "He's stayed dark ever since so he must have liked it."
He later quipped: "Underneath all that he's sort of fairly ginger!"
© Photo: Getty ImagesColin and his wife Livia Firth
There's no doubt that his role as Mr Darcy catapulted Colin to stardom, and remains one of his iconic roles to date. Since then, the actor has continued to add to his impressive list of accolades, including picking up the Oscar for Best Actor following his role in The King's Speech.
He is currently playing Mark Darcy in the latest instalment of the Bridget Jones franchise, opposite Renée Zellweger and Patrick Dempsey.
In 2011 Colin was honoured with a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, which he chose to dedicate to his wife, Italian producer Livia. "I want to thank everybody that has accompanied me on this extraordinary journey, but probably more than anybody I could ever imagine – Livia, who has walked every step of this with me joyfully and truthfully," he said at the time.
He added – before dabbing at his eyes: "When I look down there at the star, it's her name I see."
