Colin Firth lends voice to classic novel reading

(CBS News) Academy Award winner Colin Firth would sometimes skip school to read. But now he gets paid to read classic books.

He's one of several Hollywood's top stars adding their vocal talents to a new series of audio books for Audible.com. Other stars included in the series are Nicole Kidman, Kate Winslet, Anne Hathaway, Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, Annette Bening, Claire Danes, Diane Keaton, Meg Ryan, Hilary Swank, Jennifer Connelly and Susan Sarandon.

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Firth said reading for the recordings is very difficult. "It's a marathon," he said Monday on "CBS This Morning." "You're in it in an airless room, hour after hour after hour, alone with these characters, with your own ideas. And that's wonderful. But it is also hugely challenging, I think."

"Very good actors are often very bad at this," Firth added. "It was quite intimidating when I had just been told Nicole Kidman had been genius and (then I felt pressured) 'Mr. Firth. Now you're on your own.'"

Firth performing "The End of the Affair" by Graham Greene is now available on Audible.com.