Firth happy playing 2nd fiddle in 'Tinker, Tailor' (AP)

VENICE, Italy ? Oscar-winning actor Colin Firth says his supporting role in "Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy," showing at the Venice film festival is a meaty one.

Firth enjoyed top billing in both "A Single Man" and "The King's Speech," which won him the Oscar. But Firth tells journalists Monday he jumped at the role of playing a calm intelligence agent in the screen version of John Le Carre's 1974 spy tale because it was "the best of the menu" and he was happy to let others do the heavy lifting.

Swedish director Tomas Alfredson's rendition of the Cold War classic is a slow-brewing, elegant re-telling of the novel.

It's a spy story without James Bond sexy antics or without the fast action of "Bourne Identity," but Firth says don't underestimate the audience.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110905/ap_on_en_mo/eu_italy_venice_film_festival_tinker

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