The King's Speech star Colin Firth has admitted that he does not support the monarchy.
Firth, who has been nominated for an Oscar for his role as stammering King George VI, said he has "a problem" with unelected authorities.
The King's Speech is in the running for 12 prizes at the 83rd Academy Awards.
In an interview for CNN, journalist Piers Morgan asked Firth: "Are you a monarchist? Do you believe in the royal family?"
The 50-year-old actor, who has already landed a Golden Globe for his role as the wartime King, sighed heavily before replying: "I think they are very nice."
When pressed about his view, Firth continued: "I really like voting. It is one of my favourite things." To which Morgan asked: "So an unelected institution isn't really your cup of tea?"
Firth replied: "It is a problem for me, yeah, unelected bodies."
He admitted that the Royal Family had been "good" for the careers of actors. "There wouldn't be Shakespeare without kings and queens," he said. "Half the drama around history is centred around royal life because the stakes are very high in that arena."
He added that he had briefly met Prince Charles and that he thought his work with organic farming was "very admirable".
The film's 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.
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