Firth finds 'father roles' more exciting

Colin Firth has revealed that he is now being asked to play "father roles" in films, adding that the task is more interesting than portraying younger romantic leads.

The British actor was speaking at the UK premiere of Michael Winterbottom's Genova, in which he plays a university lecturer who moves his family to Italy following the death of his wife.

"I've reached the time of life where father roles are coming my way and they're a hell of a lot more interesting than young lovers," he told ITN.

The 48-year-old juggled filming Mama Mia! and Genova, describing how he went from "grief and bereavement" to "spandex and high heels".