Firth hails Oscars 'Royal Flush'

Colin Firth tonight welcomed the success of 'The King’s Speech' at the Oscar nominations as a “royal flush”.

The movie is in the running for 12 awards, more than any other film at the 83rd Academy Awards.

Its raft of nominations include best film, best actor for Firth, best supporting actress for Helena Bonham Carter for her role as Queen Elizabeth, and supporting actor for Geoffrey Rush, who plays an unorthodox speech therapist in the British movie.

It is also in the running for best director for British film-maker Tom Hooper, cinematography, and original screenplay.

Ecstatic Firth, 50, who has already landed a Golden Globe for his role as stammering monarch King George VI on the cusp of the Second World War, said after the announcement: “Currently celebrating with my colleagues three feet above the ground. Not used to this much joy, or this much champagne at this hour.”

He told ITV News: “It’s great, and it’s the fact that so many of us are there, a royal flush. That’s the best thing about it really, we’ll be going together.”

Of his nomination, he added: “It’s a little bit out of body. Your head spins and you try to process it but it’s all good.”

He added: “I can’t comment on the odds (of winning) – it’s one in five, but it’s a wonderful orbiting-the-earth’s-atmosphere feeling.”

Asked if he could get used to being showered with prizes, Firth, who rose to fame in the BBC’s 'Pride And Prejudice', said: “No, you don’t get used to this. I should be so lucky for it ever to happen again. Struggling for adjectives here ... it is a moment, it’s a lovely moment.”

'The King’s Speech' is thought to have been made for a relatively low £9m (€10.4m) but has exceeded expectations by taking more than £18m (€20.9m) at the British box office alone so far.

Firth has been Oscar-nominated once before, for best actor last year for 'A Single Man', but went home empty-handed.

Rush said after the nominations, announced in Beverly Hills: “As an Australian, I’m as excited to be recognised and honoured by the Academy as my character must have been when his London speech therapy business flourished when the future King of England happened to pop by one day.”

Speaking from Sydney, he said: “I’ve been texting people in between interviews and there’s a lot of excitement going on across the globe from our team. It’s really wonderful. It’s sort of like Ben-Hur proportions. It all seems a bit crazy, you know?”

Producer Iain Canning said the team was “in a state of shock” and that the news added to an “incredible journey”.