Mark Darcy
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Mark Darcy is a supporting character in the novels Bridget Jones's Diary and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding, both of which have been made into Hollywood movies starring Renée Zellweger, Colin Firth, and Hugh Grant.
In Bridget Jones's Diary, Mark Darcy is the recently divorced son of the Darcys, neighboring friends of Bridget's family. The characters, Bridget and Mark, are introduced as having a bit of a family history between them, as Bridget used to run around naked in Mark's paddling pool as a child.
Mark is a very successful barrister specializing in human rights law, which plays a part in the plot of the movie as Bridget's job as a television journalist throws the two of them together. The character of Mark Darcy is very organized and reserved, but attracted to the disorganized and somewhat scatterbrained character of Bridget Jones. Their trials of romance carry through to Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film).
In the Hollywood adaptation of Helen Fielding's book, Mark Darcy is played by Colin Firth. As an amusing tie-in, Mark Darcy is named as homage to Fitzwilliam Darcy, who Firth portrayed in Pride and Prejudice (1995 TV serial), based on the novel by Jane Austen. The correlation began as Helen Fielding was writing for the British magazine, The Independent. She had the honour of interviewing Colin Firth following his portrayal as Fitzwilliam Darcy, and chose to publish the article under the pseudonym of Bridget Jones, which she would continue to use on these two bestselling novels. Fielding and Bridget both love Colin Firth and Mr. Darcy so much that the name of Mark Darcy seemed perfect, and Colin Firth accepted the role, despite his weariness for being identified solely as Mr. Darcy due to his dashing performance.
As a special feature on Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (film), the character of Bridget Jones, played by Renée Zellweger, interviews Firth as a throwback to the original Fielding interview and its many mentions in the Bridget Jones novels.
With the storyline of Bridget Jones seemingly over and Helen Fielding having expressed interest in pursuing other literary endeavors, Mark Darcy now lives on as an admired character to women worldwide.
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