Australian actress Nicole Kidman says her recent comments that Americans should support President-elect Donald Trump were merely a statement of her belief in democracy, not an endorsement of the incoming president.

The Oscar winner’s remarks sparked both criticism and praise online after they were aired by the BBC earlier this week.

She had told the BBC: “He [Donald Trump] is now elected and we, as a country, need to support whoever is the president, because that’s what the country is based on”.

“However that happened, he’s there and let’s go,” she said.

Her comments run contrary to what many celebrities have said about Mr Trump in the lead-up to and wake of his election — including Meryl Streep, who launched a blistering attack on the President-elect during the Golden Globes.

Following her comments, Kidman found herself the subject of both praise and criticism on social media.

But in an interview with Access Hollywood, she said her comments were misconstrued.

I was trying to stress that I believe in democracy and the American Constitution, and it was that simple.

When an interviewer pressed her for more details, Kidman threw up her hands and said she was done commenting on the topic.

“I’m out of it now. That’s what I said and it’s that simple,” she said.

Kidman was born in Hawaii to Australian parents and holds dual citizenship in Australia and the United States.

She won an Oscar for 2002’s The Hours and was nominated for an award at last week’s Golden Globes for her performance in Lion, the true story of a Tasmanian man’s journey to India to find his biological mother.

Meanwhile sci-fi star Zoe Saldana has spoken out against the acting community for bullying Mr Trump.

Actress Zoe Saldana says Americans need to support whoever is US president.

The Star Trek, Avatar and Guardians of the Galaxy star — who is not a supporter of the Republican president-elect — said insults flung at him during the race for the White House turned off much of middle America.

“We got cocky and became arrogant and we also became bullies,” said the 38-year-old actress, who born in the United States to Puerto Rican and Dominican parents.

“We were trying to single out a man for all these things he was doing wrong… and that created empathy in a big group of people in America that felt bad for him and that are believing in his promises.”

– with AAP