I don't think films are less substantial because they're more popular or because they're lighter 
Colin Firth hasn't been able to escape the 'thinking woman's crumpet' tag since donning the britches to play Fitzwilliam Darcy in TV's Pride And Prejudice. He's subsequently made the transition to movies, starring in Brit romantic comedies Bridget Jones's Diary and Love Actually. 2004 sees him star opposite Scarlett Johannson in Girl With A Pearl Earring and RenΓ©e Zellweger (again) for Bridget Jones 2: The Edge Of Reason.
One of the interesting things about Girl With A Pearl Earring is how there's very little dialogue...
It's good not to speak. I think it gives you the opportunity to own it, in a way. When you've got other people's words, you have to go full circle, making their words yours. Doing it in this way, it's much more of a direct line from the source material to whatever it is you're doing in front of the camera. Words can be an enormous asset. They can really catapult you into something wonderful if they're brilliant. If they're not, then they are a gigantic obstacle. If they're not there, then suddenly it's you! You're on! You have to sing and dance, and that's it.
The centrepiece of the film is the evolving relationship between Griet, the servant girl, and your character, Johannes Vermeer, who wants to paint her. How did you make that relationship real on screen?
It all got quite easy once it was between myself and Scarlett [Johansson]. It was a strange job for me because I wasn't present for a lot of it. I mean, I was and I wasn't. I had to be there physically most days so I could walk down a flight of stairs or something. It meant I wasn't really able to establish anything for a long time, but once we got into the meat of it, in that artist's studio, between the two of us... I found that once we hit a certain tone, those elements just actually sort of dictated it. That's when collaboration actually starts to display its benefits - we start to inspire each other. I found that once we were at the proper work, it didn't require great leaps of the imagination. And it was also easy because Scarlett really is so believable.
Why did you take a chance on working with Peter Webber, a first time director?
It didn't seem like such a terrible risk. He's not wet behind the ears. He's very experienced behind a camera. He's made drama. I think we make a rather artificial divide between the small screen and the big screen because the work is very much the same. It depends what sensibilities you bring to it. He knows the world of cinema. He's one of these people whose knowledge is encyclopaedic, but he's also watched and studied things. I felt he was more equipped than a lot of more experienced directors I've worked with. I didn't have the feeling of a man on his first feature film job at all.
How does it feel to be in a movie that a lot of people wouldn't associate you with?
I think it's great. I'm quite happy for those things to co-exist. This film wouldn't be possible without Bridget Jones for me. I enjoy doing Bridget Jones. I don't think films are less substantial because they're more popular or because they're lighter. I certainly know that if you're any more bankable because of the success of one film, then one of the privileges it buys you is to make you credible for a film like this. They then consider me as part of what helps to get the film made. It's a combination of elements that I'm prepared to make use of as long as I can.
