Bridget Jones star Sally Phillips had no idea who Pride Of Prejudice heartthrob Colin Firth was during filming

Bridget Jones actress Sally Phillips had no clue who her famous co-star Colin Firth was when they first arrived on set to film Bridget Jones’s Diary in 2001.

Colin had already achieved roaring success, having starred in the likes of Pride And Prejudice in 1995, The English Patient (1996) and Shakespeare In Love (1998), before being cast as Mark Darcy in the British romcom alongside Renée Zellweger and Hugh Grant.

However, this didn’t mean a thing to Sally, who played Shazzer, one of Bridget’s best friends, in the trilogy.

‘I remember walking into the rehearsal room on the first day and I hadn’t watched Pride And Prejudice and I remember thinking, “Oh, who’s that?” about Colin Firth,’ she recalled in an exclusive interview with Metro.co.uk.

‘At the time, he was Britain’s most-fancied man. It’s amazing to think of a world where not everyone knew who Colin Firth is.’

Sally added that she never had the heart to tell Colin that she didn’t know who he was, so… sorry about that.

Casting her mind back to shooting the first film, which celebrates its 20th birthday next week, Sarah said Colin invited her to have lunch in his trailer, much to the delight of her co-stars.

‘It was hysterical to be around Hugh and Colin, who are Britain’s most-handsome and hilarious me,’ she recalled.

‘There was one day where Colin invited me into his trailer for lunch and I could just see James [Callis, who played Tom] and Shirley [Henderson, who played Jude] looking from the other side of the Winnebago really sniggering behind their hands.

‘I went in and attempted to have a grown-up conversation with Colin about British theatre and as I came out, the other two were still looking. I said, “Thanks for having me in your trailer” and I heard this explosion of giggles from James and Shirley. It felt like being back at school in a way.’

Sally added: ‘I’m still in touch with the cast, apart from Renee. Not because I don’t like her, but because she’s a massive Oscar-winning movie star in America and I’m a mum-of-three who lives in the suburbs.

‘I’m in touch with James and Shirley and I see Colin out and about at various different things and he’s always absolutely lovely and treats you exactly the same and is just a really gorgeous man inside and out.’

To mark the 20^th anniversary of Bridget Jones’s Diary, streaming service NOW is launching the ultimate Bridget Mini-Break – offering film fans the chance to book a staycation in the iconic suite and hotel where Bridget & Daniel enjoyed their hilarious getaway.

Find out more at www.bridgetminibreak.nowtv.com

Bridget Jones’s Diary is available to stream on NOW with a Cinema Membership for £11.99 per month.

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