Colin Firth Talks Accents, Action And Oscars

When you think of Colin Firth, you think a freshly brewed cup of tea served in the finest china, neatly sliced cucumber sandwiches and being apologised to for no real reason. He's the quintessential English gent, a persona that he's well and truly owned on screen from Bridget Jones's Diary to A Single Man.

It's a character type that he riffs on for new spy adventure Kingsman: The Secret Service, where he plays a secret agent taking on an unconventional young protégé. While, yes he's still looking dapper, he's also transformed into a bona fide action star, with extravagant fight scenes in the place of romantic declarations.

We sat down with the 54-year-old actor and chatted about his surprising new action credentials, why his accent has changed and why he can't confess his favourites for this year's Oscars.

Kingsman: The Secret Service hits cinemas January 29