Chiswick heart throb actor Colin Firth has admitted that he tells his two young sons he works with cranes and machinery - "because it sounds more manly than acting".

The actor, who shot to fame (and into the hearts of the majority of the female population) in 1995 with the BBC adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, lives in Chiswick with his Italian born wife and two sons, Luca and Mateo. 

More recently renowned as a modern Mr Darcy in Bridget Jones' Diary, Colin Firth is keen for his offspring to believe his career involves more masculine work than dressing up in front of a camera.

He told a member of the film industry's press "Luca came to see me while I was making the film Nanny McPhee, but he didn't really have any concept of what we were doing there.

"He seemed most interested in the cameras and cables, so we have developed the idea with him that I work with cranes and heavy machinery.

"He did seem to like that thought, and I didn't want to crush his idea that I do something manly with my life, instead of what I really do - putting on costumes and make-up, and flouncing around in front of the camera."

 

March 7, 2006