How did you deal with the sexually frank scene at the heart of the story?
Firth: We have to do so much weird stuff as actors anyway. I know this crosses a threshold which I think most non-actors find the least comprehensible and the most difficult to get their heads around, because most people wouldn't want to take their clothes off in front of their colleagues. But by the time you've been through drama school you've had to go through a bit of that anyway, and by the time you're in your mid 40s you've been round the houses a few times. That doesn't mean you think nothing of it. There's always a slightly tricky moment when you go from being dressed to undressed and yet you've got a scene to play. In the case of this film it was quite a tricky scene, emotionally. We had to get that right while also framing out peoples' private parts. A lot of the time you're wrestling with the technical requirements, as you are on any film. Even if you're not naked you're having to hit a mark and hit your light and move in accordance with the camera movement, while looking as if on take 15 you've said it for the first time and it's spontaneous.....more
