It's something which most actors dream of – making the shortlist for an Academy Award.

But far from gushing with excitement on receiving his first Oscar nomination, best actor trophy candidate Colin Firth is keeping a level head.

"God knows (if I'll win). I'm trying not to think about it," says the actor, nominated for his role as a grieving university lecturer coming to terms with the loss of his male partner in A Single Man.

He, adds: "You don't know how much you have vested in something until you have a disappointment."

This cryptic comment refers to his first BAFTA nomination, which he received in his mid 20s.

"I was very blasé and I didn't go to the awards ceremony because I was filming," the Daily Express quoted him as saying.

"I lost. I thought I was cool about it but I was absolutely shattered. I was astonished I was so shattered." His age – he's now 49 – has given him a slightly different take on the whole thing, however.

"I'm getting on a bit now and I've been up and down a few times. I'm too old to get swept away in it completely."

Though he does add: "I've had little enough experience of it to feel too jaded."