"I want to do comedy," he told BBC radio early on Monday after winning his Oscar late Sunday. "I think gravitas is hugely over-egged and I would like to do something that amuses me now, change the pace, change the tone and I think it's time to continue my long tradition of making a fool of myself."

The 50-year-old Briton has already enjoyed success in lighter roles, notably as Mark Darcy - the top human rights lawyer who is hapless at love in the "Bridget Jones" series. That role was a nod to his breakthrough as an actor, playing the aloof Mr. Darcy in a 1995 television adaptation of the Jane Austen novel "Pride and Prejudice."