Uma has last laugh

Posted on 22 February, 2008 | No Comments

She’s proved herself in period roles and of course was a huge success in Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill.

But all the while, Uma Thurman was aching to break into comedy.

“Trouble was, no one was falling over themselves to offer me anything in that genre,” she said.

“So in the end I decided to do it for myself – it took me 10 years!”

The result is The Accidental Husband, which sees her taking lead and producing roles and which, she hopes, will encourage film-makers to consider her for future comedy parts.

The 37-year-old plays Dr Emma Lloyd, a popular New York radio shrink doling out sensible advice to the lovelorn.

Off air, her own life is equally successful, with plans to tie the knot with the dependable Richard, played by Colin Firth.

All seems pretty straightforward until she advises a young woman, unsure of her true feelings, to call off her wedding to a handsome firefighter called Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan).

To get his own back, he gets a young computer whiz to hack into her marriage details – and he manages to change her on-line wedding certificate to show that she is actually “married” to Patrick.

Hence, she acquires an accidental husband, making it tricky to wed again until the fake marriage is annulled.

Of course, she grows to quite like cheeky chappie Patrick.

What follows is a conventional love triangle that constantly poses the question: Which one will she choose?

“It???  ??  ?s a wonderful story,” says Uma.

She acquired the rights to the film from two unknown writers, Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor.

“Ten years ago I was in period dramas, which I loved, but I always wanted to do a comedy ???  ?? ?
S but I couldn???  ??  ?t even get a reading,” says Uma.

“Then when I saw this script I loved everything about it from the title to the set-up of the plot to the dialogue, so I decided to do it myself.

“Everyone has always told me that I come across as so serious, so I saw this as the perfect way express my sense of humour. I hope people will see me in a new light. It was clear from the first read that I could have a lot of fun with Emma.”

For his part, Colin Firth once again plays the quintessential Englishman, though he disputes that such a being actually exists.

“If you look around you, there is really no such thing as the quintessential Englishman – there just aren???  ??  ?t any Mr Darcys around; he???  ??  ?s a figment of filmlore. He exists only in mythology and in the heads of actors.”

Quite possibly. But Firth, 47, has built his career on playing to the perceived myth, not least when he actually played Mr Darcy in the BBC???  ??  ?s acclaimed 1995 serialisation of Pride and Prejudice.

Ever since then he has been setting female hearts a-flutter. However, he concedes that these days his fans are rather more mature.

“In fact,” he says, “I heard of one woman with high blood pressure who was advised not to watch Pride and Prejudice any more. She was 103!”

He will soon be seen opposite Jim Broadbent in the independent film And When Did You Last See Your Father? And later in a star-studded adaptation of the ABBA musical, Mamma Mia, alongside the likes of Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan.

Meanwhile he is delighted to be starring in The Accidental Husband, even if his contribution did take only 13 days to shoot.

“There???  ??  ?s an old adage about comedy being a more serious business than drama and in this film it really rings true,” he says. “It was a delicate balance making my character likeable and funny. But working with Uma, it was a really rewarding process.”

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