Colin Firth learned Italian to impress in-laws

Colin Firth had a tough time impressing his wife`s parents and learned Italian to impress them.

Los Angeles: Oscar nominated actor Colin Firth had a tough time impressing his wife Livia Giuggioli`s parents when they first met and learned Italian to impress them as they were initially against their courtship.

The `King`s Speech` star, who married Italian film producer-and-director Giuggioli in 1997, took pains to learn her native language in a desperate attempt to win over her parents. "Her parents warmed up. I mean, taking a stab at their language, you know, I had to do an awful lot to convince them that I was good material for their daughter. Because I had a lot of strikes against me. I was 10 years older nearly, English, didn`t speak the language. Already had a child. I was an actor," Colin told a news channel. "I mean, the list really does get very, very bad so I had to fix the language. It was one thing I could deal with and, you know, there`s nothing like communicating with people in their own tongue," said the actor, who has two sons with Giuggioli. The 50-year-old actor, who has been married to Giuggioli for 15 years said that she has the upper hand in their relationship. "I`m afraid she`s the ball breaker and the brains - which leaves me taking out the trash!" he added. PTI