No such thing as stereotypical English gentleman, says Colin Firth

London: Colin Firth has always been viewed as the typical English gentleman with his ‘dashing’ British accent and sophisticated mannerisms, but the star thinks the stereotype doesn’t exist except in the fantasy world of cinema and TV.

In fact, the 50-year-old says he now feels more American than English after studying there as a child and working in Hollywood. “It’s true, I’m very associated with this English stereotype, but I don’t think that exists except in the roles I play,” The Daily Express quoted him as saying. He told The Hollywood Reporter magazine in a pre-Oscars special, “I don’t feel planted here [in Britain]. I feel very connected to America. My mother grew up there and I spent a year in high school in the US. Growing up, I felt almost American in lots of ways.” Firth was 12 when he spent a year in St Louis, Missouri, after his history lecturer father David was relocated to the mid-West. But he is known for his portrayal of English characters and has rarely played an American. ANI