Actor Colin Firth says essaying the role of Mr Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" wasn't helpful to his career.

In an interview with Good Housekeeping magazine, the British actor said that playing the romantic lead in "Pride and Prejudice" led to him being typecast as someone who "struts around looking good", reports dailymail.co.uk.

"This was a great role and it was a major event in my career, certainly. But I don't think it was all that helpful, because it tended to create this image that can restrict what kind of roles you are going to be able to find," he said, adding: "Looking good and strutting around is very boring. I wanted to do other things as an actor."

He has found success with a string of brooding roles in the 15 years since he appeared in the Jane Austen adaptation, including as his character's namesake Mark Darcy in the "Bridget Jones" franchise.

He claims he was only able to change the public perception of his work once he appeared in 2009's "A Single Man". Firth won an Academy Award nomination for his portrayal of a depressed, gay British professor living in California in the 1980s.

"This role probably did the most to change the perception of me. I was playing and older, sadder kind of figure and suddenly you're seen in a different way," he said.