Queen Elizabeth, Movie Critic? Geoffrey Rush Wants Her Thumbs Up

Queen Elizabeth II would be moving in on Roger Ebert’s territory -- if Geoffrey Rush had his way.

Over the weekend, a UK tabloid reported the reigning monarch of England had responded favorably to a private screening of “The King’s Speech,” which depicts her father King George V’s struggle to overcome his stammer at a crucial moment in the nation’s history.

Rush, who plays the king’s speech therapist, Lionel Logue, in the odds-on Oscar favorite for best picture, is wondering if the Queen can now be the latest critic to be quote-blurbed in the movie’s poster.

“We have just heard repeatedly by The Sun that she saw 'The King's Speech' and was moved - that was the quote,” said Rush while attending the Academy Awards nominees luncheon in Beverly Hills on Monday.

Rush said he and co-star Colin Firth have fantasized about how to leverage the tidbit.

“We want that on the poster: 'Dazzling’ – The New York Times. 'Moving’ – Her Majesty,” he said. “We've been fascinated about [the Queens reaction] for a long time. But [Buckingham Palace is] very circumspect and very anonymous about that. I don't think anyone knows, for example, if she saw Helen Mirren as ‘The Queen.’

The speculation didn't stop there.

“We've been joking that the Queen is probably on Netflix and that she's got a whole backup list of the ‘Madness of King George’ and ‘Alfred the Great’ and gets them out every couple of months,” Rush chuckled.

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