Colin Firth's Wet Influence
I've said this before, but this bears repeating because holy shit y'all
(Intro here, data and graphs here)
When I first started noticing how often Colin Firth got wet I questioned, was it because of Pride and Prejudice? Did the decision to put him in a wet shirt in 1995 alter the course of his career?
Well, NO. My hypothesis was wrong. He had five projects in the ten years before 1995, including Valmont which also put him in a wet white shirt. He already had an established career in wetness. Pride and Prejudice didn't influence him.
Instead,
Colin Firth influenced Pride & Prejudice
Before 1995? ZERO wet Darcys.
After 1995? MOST Darcys get wet! I watched 19 post 1995 adaptations with a Darcy character, and 13 of them got that Darcy wet. That's 68%! In at least two where they didn't get wet, they alluded to it!
I don't have stats either, but I've read >650 P&P adaptations and even in a non-visual medium, it's a trope to get Darcy wet.
Colin Firth’s trend of getting wet is so powerful it permanently altered the public perception of a 200 year old character
And! Now there are homages!
So. You know. You'll never be able to unsee when a character gets wet now. You're welcome!

















