Chiswick actor Colin Firth fears he will never escape the infamous Mr Darcy even after though he has gone on to conquered Hollywood.

Few will forget the scene in the BBC's adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice when Firth appears from the lake in a soaked shirt, but despite carrying off numerous other roles with equal aplomb, the actor finds that Mr Darcy simply will not go away.

Speaking at the premiere for his latest film, And When Did You Last See Your Father?, he said, "In every single film since there's been a scene when someone goes, 'Well I think you've just killed Mr Darcy.' But he is a figure that won't die."

Other films in which Firth has tried to kill off Darcy include Bridget Jones’s Diary / Edge of Reason, Girl with a Pearl Earring, Love Actually and the forthcoming The Last Legion in which Firth is said to do "serious and modern and Roman and butch".

And When Did You Last See Your Father?, the film version of Blake Morrison’s autobiographical memoir, will be released on October 5th.

September 26, 2007