Colin Firth: King of the big screen

Here he talks about why he became an actor and what it was like to play a famous stammerer

No wonder Colin Firth was cast as King George VI in his latest - and most successful - movie, The King's Speech. Colin himself is often described as regal in his own right. And it seems the movie world - and the public at large - agrees, judging by the number of awards Colin and the film have received to date.

For those of you who haven't yet seen it, the film's story concerns the little-known friendship between England's King George VI (played by Colin), a profound stammerer, and his unorthodox speech therapist, Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush. Rounding out this stellar cast is Helena Bonham Carter as a wry Queen Mum.

However for Colin, a quiet family man, the fan frenzy began years ago with his unforgettable portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the BBC's adaptation of Pride and Prejudice. Soon afterwards Colin went on to seal his movie star status with his role as Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary, and the sequel The Edge of Reason, both of which also starred Renee Zellweger and Hugh Grant.

His success, however, is a completely bizarre phenomenon for the classically trained British actor, who, when he is not working as a dark and broody leading man, enjoys life with his wife of many years, Italian filmmaker Livia Giuggioli and their two children.

Early years

So what led Colin into a life on the stage, we wondered? "I played Jack Frost in a pantomime when I was five and I had satin trousers and a white frilly shirt," laughs Colin. "And I got the attention right there. It doesn't sound very noble to do something just because you have attention. I think that is a driving force in any performer and then we try to ennoble it with various other agendas."

It was hardly something the rest of Colin's family had anticipated. "They were mystified by the choice – some were horrified. But they are largely comprised of school teachers and ministers and there's a lot of acting in those jobs – a lot of ego as well."

Colin's career choice paid off, big time. This year, for instance, has seen the actor receive more awards than you can shake a stick at, including the coveted Best Actor Oscar for his performance in The King's Speech.

So how did it feel to play a King of England, we wondered? "I didn't really know much about the King so everything was an education," admits Colin. "It was an extraordinary position for him to find himself in as he grew up never thinking he would one day be king. And then to find that he had a speech impediment when live radio broadcasts came along for the first time.

"It must have taken immense courage for him to take on his stammer and try to defeat it."

King of quitters

Anyone who has seen The King's Speech will remember the role smoking plays in the story. At the start of the film a royal physician advises the King to smoke because it 'calms the nerves' and 'opens the throat'. Desperate to do something about his speech impediment, King George follows his advice.

When he meets Lionel Logue, however, the King is persuaded to quit the habit. Unfortunately it looks like the many years of heavy smoking had already taken their toll, as King George died in 1952 of lung cancer (though in those days, the link between smoking and cancer hadn't been established).

If you're trying to quit, many pharmacists offer plenty of advice and encouragement, as well as recommendations for nicotine replacement therapy products you could try including patches, gum, lozenges, sprays and inhalators. Or they could help you decide whether or not you're a candidate to try prescription medicines that are designed to reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

Facts about stammering

What is stammering? According to a resource quoted by the British Stammering Association, stammering is "characterised by stoppages and disruptions in fluency which interrupt the smooth flow and timing of speech. These stoppages may take the form of repetitions of sounds, syllables or words, or of prolongations of sounds so that words seem to be stretched out, and can involve silent blocking of the airflow of speech when no sound is heard."

The speech of a stammerer may sound forced, tense or jerky. They may also avoid certain words or situations that they know will cause problems.

Some people may also cover up a stammer by avoiding and substituting certain words that cause them difficulties – this is known as covert stammering.

What causes stammering?

Experts still do not know exactly what causes it, but scientific research may suggest there are several factors involved. Stammering may, for some people at least, run in families, as studies show you're more likely to develop a stammer if someone in your family is a stammerer.

Other studies involving brain scans also suggest significant differences between the way brains of people who stammer work compared with those who don't stammer.

Who's affected by stammering? Experts suggest that five percent of children under the age of five – including twice as many boys as girls – will experience stammering to some extent while their speech and language skills are developing. That's around 188,000 pre-school-age children in Britain. The British Stammering Association claims up to a quarter of these children are at serious risk of developing chronic stammering, which may persist into adulthood.

Among children of school age, however, research suggests 1.2 percent have a stammer, which equates to around 109,000 children in the UK between the ages of five and 16 years. Approximately one percent of adults in Britain have a stammer, including almost four times as many men as women - that's around 459,000 people altogether.

What treatments are there?

Speech and language therapy can help, but there is no magical 'cure' for stammering.

For more information, visit the website of the British Stammering Association at: www.stammering.org