Bridget Jones fans were irate after learning that author Helen Fielding killed off beloved character Mark Darcy in the third installment of her popular book series. We now have an idea of what the actor who plays Darcy thinks of the shocking development.
Colin Firth, who played Darcy in both Bridget Jones films, was told of his character's death personally from the author, Entertainment Weekly reports. In an interview with Time magazine, Fielding talked about how she broke the news to Firth over the phone after he was unable to meet for lunch.
"I had to ask him if he had someone with him and if he was sitting down," she said. "It was like someone actually had died. We had to process it. And I was almost saying, 'I'm so sorry for your loss.'"
She explained to Firth that although Darcy is not physically in the novel, his presence can be felt throughout the book through his children. His children with Bridget, a girl named Mabel and a boy named Billy, closely resemble their father. "As I told [Colin], his memory will live on and he will rise from the dead rather like Jesus," Fielding added.
Although Firth has not commented publicly about his character's death, it can be surmised from Fielding's comments that Firth was saddened by the news.
The U.K's Sunday Times recently published an excerpt from the new novel, which is titled Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy. The excerpt revealed that the novel will focus on Bridget after her husband's death.
The excerpt reads, "Why didn't I just stay as I was. Sad, lonely, workless, sexless ... but at least a mother, a widow, and faithful to their ... Faithful to their father."
Immediately, fans took to Twitter and Facebook to express their extreme discontent.
NyunMien Ku wrote on the Bridget Jones fan page: "What's the point of reading it now? BJ and MD were my fav. couple and now Helen's gone and killed him off! I demand a rewrite to resurrect MD!!!!"
Laís Souza added: "My advice is to Helen Fielding: do not destroy your most famous story. We love Bridget WITH Darcy. Is it too late for another man in the book."
Fielding released her first Bridget Jones book, Bridget Jones's Diary, in 1995, which spawned the cult classic film based on the novel starring Renee Zellweger as Bridget, Colin Firth as Mark and Hugh Grant as Daniel. The sequel, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason, which was released in 1999, was also made into a feature film. The second book focused on Bridget accepting Mark Darcy's proposal and the couple's resulting happiness.
In the upcoming third book, Mark has died five years earlier, and Bridget is now 51 years old. The novel explores her life as a single mom of two children. Bridget also has a new boyfriend, to fans' chagrin, named Roxster. Some other recurring themes in the novel include Bridget worrying over the petty politics at her kids' school and her persistent efforts to lose weight as well as meditate and stop hiding wine bottles.
Daniel Cleaver, who is mentioned in the excerpt online, is said to be a "naughty godfather" to Bridget and Mark's children. It says he was "relied upon for emergency babysitting duties and inappropriate sexual advances towards their mother."
Mad About the Boy hits shelves October 10.