What next for the man who wowed millions as Darcy? - centre pages Inside Centre PAGES

 AMAZED BY REACTION TO HEART_THROB ROLE

 Its going to seem like a long summer for millions of women waiting longingly for Colin Firth's next major TV role.

 But the good news for his legion of fans, is that there is life after Mr Darcy, the smouldering hero of Pride and Prejudice in the highly-successful BBC serialisation.

 Colin will be back on screen in the autumn in Nostromo, a four-part drama based on the Joseph Conrad novel. The part is far removed from the silent, brooding Darcy of Jane Austen's romantic novel which caused such impact. NOSTROMO is set in Latin America at the turn of the century. Colin plays Charles Gould, the idealistic owner of a silver mine he inherited from his father in a violent revolution.

 He has high hopes of gaining fame and fortune by rescuing the silver from the hands of a revolutionary dictator.

 JUNGLES
But he has to turn for help to the enigmatic action man, Nostromo, played by Claudio Amendala.

 The drama also stars Serena Scott-Thomas and Claudia Cardinale. In May, Colin begins filming another contrasting role in a movie called Fever Pitch.

 It is a light-hearted story based on nick Hornby's best-selling book which tells the trials and tribulations of his life as an Arsenal supporter. As Darcy mania reached fever pitch in Britain, Colin was filming NOSTROMO in the steamy jungles of Colombia.

 He had no idea of the huge sex symbol Darcy had become back home. His mother, Dr Shirley Firth, said her eldest son was amazed at the reaction to the part. She recalls, "He said it sounded as though he was missing a party, but was quite glad not to be there".

 Colin Firth's Darcy was dark, silent, brooding and ,of course, rich.The package was exquisitely wrapped with fantastic backgrounds and sensational back-drops.

 DELUGED
The handsome 34-year-old could not be more different from his melancholy screen character. He is as humorous and articulate as Darcy is chilly and silent.

 His classic good looks give him a powerful presence, but something happens when he opens his mouth and you hear his amazing voice. The man is magnetic.

 When the series was screened in Britain last autumn, the BBC was deluged with letters from fans, and its magazine, the Radio Times, decide to publish Colin as a pin-up, the first time in its 70-year history. His face was everywhere.

 More than 100,00 copies of P&P video were sold and teenagers pinned posters of him alongside Damon Albarn from Blur.

 For most men, this kind of adulation would turn their heads, yet despite his devastating looks, Colin is no womaniser. He charms but when involved he is a one-woman man. And like his small-screen character, he has suffered in love.

 He has put romance on the back-burner while concentrating on his thriving carrer and admits movingly that his son Will, is the centre of his world. Becoming a father has unlocked deep emotions in him but, in general, he likes to keep them under wraps.

 "It was totally mind-blowing when Will arrived and completely changed my life in all the obvious ways", he says.

 Will's mother is the beautiful Canadian actress, Meg Tilly. She and Colin fell in love on the set of the movie and spent 4 years trying to make the relationship work. Most of that time was spent in Meg's remote cabin outside Vancouver, British Columbia.

 "It's a lovely city, but I got bored there," admits Colin , Candidly. "I found it very difficult to settle as we were living in a place that was rural and isolated. I am a city person and couldn't be happy there. I thought I could adjust but I was wrong. I missed my family, friends and work too much."

 When Meg is filming away on location, Will can often stay for up to three months with Colin at his home in Hackney and he employs a full-time nanny.

 A couple of years ago, Colin went to Hollywood to appear in a movie called the PLAYMAKER - and loathed every minute of it. But his sole reason for taking the part was to spend time with Will, who happened to be in Los Angeles with Meg.

 Recalls Colin, "I was desperate to see him after doing six months of theatre in Britain, so I said yes to the movie. But it was a terrible film and I hope it sinks without a trace. He makes no bones that he misses Will dreadfully if they are separated for too long.

 SEASONED TRAVELLER
"But if I can't have him here, I'll go to Canada," says Colin. "It's difficult to juggle things when you're thousands of miles apart from a child, but it's my lot. However I phone, write and make tapes for him to listen to. I don't do anything in my spare time. It's him - that's it, really". Transatlantic parenting has made Will a seasoned traveller. "He's used to being put on planes and seeing different countries," explains Colin.

 He's not really known anything else. He probably thinks everyone does that. He seems to be delighted to be put down anywhere. But once he is in school, it will be much more limiting."

 Colin talks touchingly about his son. "He's a charmer, not hysterical or a tantrum thrower. He is getting on for five and I am staggered by what he observes. I know not to underestimate him."

 "He will make comments like 'Dad, that person doesn't like you' - he can see that."

 Colin says that Will is unflappable as his father metamorphoses into different characters and Darcy's side burns didn't get much comment. "But I had a moustache for a little while for something I was filming and he talked about it a lot and wanted to have one put on!" Colin laughs.

 CHEMISTRY
Colin has frequently played dashing heroes and handsome ladies men. He was in both the play and the film, Another country, and portrayed brain-damaged soldier, Robert Lawrence, in the controversial drama, Tumbledown, about the Falklands War.

 Yet despite an impressive list of screen credits he almost turned down the role of Darcy. "The reason it is a favourite book is that it is a fantastic story,. there is nothing better written of it's type. I was so intimidated by it and thought Darcy was unplayable. But a month into it, I felt like I owned the part. I couldn't conceive of any-one else doing it and felt very much at home."

 Rumours were rife that the sizzling chemistry between Colin and co-star Jennifer Ehle,26, who played Lizzie, spilled over into real life. But the romance did not have a happy ending and both refuse to discuss the relationship which lasted for the duration of the filming.

 There does seem to be a new woman in Colin's life in the shape of a lovely Italian lady called Livia Guiggioli. Colin is reported to have been on holiday in Rome with Livia and was seen with her at a recent awards ceremony.

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