Colin takes artist role seriously

Colin Firth became totally immersed in the work of Vermeer when he took the role of the Dutch painter in The Girl With The Pearl Earring.

“I was absolutely consumed by a desire to discover something about him,” the British actor tells USA Today. “I went to look at paintings and read what I could and did as much painting as I could.

“I referred to the script, the book, the pictures – it was like a candy store. You do all this stuff and in the end, I don’t know how much of it makes any difference to anyone watching the movie. But it made me enjoy it.”

Firth co-stars in the film with Scarlett Johansson, who plays the title character and who did not read the book before taking the role. “I just didn’t want to be told what I should be feeling at a particular time,” she said.