Helen Mirren’s stellar rise has been extraordinary, albeit unconventional, in how her ascent to Hollywood only gathered pace when she was in her forties. It took British terrestrial drama Prime Suspect to tip things her way, the TV mini-series, launched in 1991, misrepresented the brand of TV drama at a time when detectives, mostly male, were the norm, yet provided an unexpected springboard to Hollywood after so many years of generic movie projects and theater appearances.
While the production wasn’t ground-breaking, the enhancement and promotion of female empowerment were. In the rise of feminism to a certain audience, Mirren’s buoyancy was as dominant as other generational role models and the forerunners of girl power in Nineties popular culture, such as Madonna, Tracey Emin, Whitney, and Victoria Beckham.
Such versatility comes from confidence, and it’s always been there, or has it? To many of us, Mirren will always be the glamourous, young breakthrough who sat on chat show sofas all four decades ago, reducing hosts to quivering wrecks. Yet, this same actress was actually painfully insecure in her twenties.
In truth, Mirren is pretty cool and hard-working too, as she wraps up another intense year of work, during which three new movie releases her proven unnerving knack for excelling. Shazam. Is the follow-up to the 2019 movie; Woman in Gold is a somber biography of the Israeli politician and teacher Golda Meir, and looks set to be a project dripping in detail and deep meaning; while White Bird: A Wonder Story, based on the novel by RJ Palacio is a tribute to kindness and peace.
STRIPLV: You hold the honor of having played three British queens in different films and television series. Elizabeth I, in 2005, received Emmy and Golden Globe Awards for Best Actress; Elizabeth II in The Queen, in which she earned Academy and BAFTA Awards for Best Actress; and Queen Charlotte in The Madness of King George, with an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. How do you do it? MIRREN: In actual fact, playing both Elizabeth’s was very demanding, physically and mentally. I’d love to say I was that sort of Method-y type actor, but these days I’m not. I’m just not. The projects were incredibly enjoyable, and of course, every role should bring different challenges, but, well, exhausting. I am honest enough to say that. STRIPLV: People regard you as someone who has consistently pushes forward positive female icons in film. Is that enough for you, or do you want to be more than that? MIRREN: I think if that’s the lasting legacy, then that’s probably a pretty accurate reflection of my work. The difference now compared to the past is that previously women had almost no voice. Now we’ve unleashed this volcanic movement and the lava is slowly starting to come down the mountain. I admire the fearlessness and determination of women. You have to respect will and strength of purpose whenever you see it. STRIPLV: You play Hespera in the upcoming Shazam 2: Fury of the Gods. You rarely get cast as many villains, so what was that like? MIRREN: No, that’s right, I don’t. In fact, this could be my first ever meaningful one, for Shazam. It was so fun to play though, and I probably should have been here sooner, or more regularly. It’s always a good thing to have change, and it goes without saying this is very unlike playing a queen or a detective. It’s also not very often I get to be in parts where there is all of this huge and astonishing CGI and the special effects, I mean, wow. It’s just stunning to see all this really entertaining and amazing technology in the industry now. STRIPLV: Did you know the Shazam franchise well before you were approached to star in the sequel? MIRREN: Yes, I did. I will watch any film, and I watch many. When you are in the industry, it almost becomes a peculiar, slightly voyeuristic pursuit to see other actors you know and like (and some you don’t like. (Laughs) Even if the movie isn’t something that appeals to your personal taste, it follows that you should be interested in the person or people behind it, so yes, I do watch quite a lot of stuff that you probably wouldn’t expect of me, and Shazam I was very familiar with. It’s such a funny and charming movie, exhilarating too. STRIPLV: We’ve heard of a reference to one of your other roles in Shazam 2. Can you explain what that is? MIRREN: Ha. Oh yes. I think this has been shown in the trailer where Shazam, played by the wonderful Zachary Levi, says to Hespera that he might not have the same amount of experience as her because she is super old. I mean, how rude, haha. But he then goes on to say that he has seen all of the Fast and Furious movies. STRIPLV: Just on Fast and Furious, what did you say to Vin Diesel to get that part in the franchise? MIRREN: Anything I could really to convince him, as one of the producers of the films, I was a good fit to appear in it. I did have to beg to be allowed to drive down The Mall right towards the Palace. Buckingham Palace. That was such a thrill and I’m glad that I persevered now. I don’t mind admitting that. STRIPLV: You are still the only woman to have won the Triple Crown of awards on both sides of the Atlantic. How does that feel? MIRREN: It’s nice, but I don’t judge my career by it. There are so many wonderful actors, some of whom I have worked with and some who I haven’t, so it doesn’t mean I am better than them, or does it? What? It does? Haha. Okay, I’ll take that, then. STRIPLV: You seem ideally at ease and settled these days. MIRREN: Very often, as an actor, the comfort is in being busy. That’s when we feel most in control and most relaxed. I’ve had periods when I’ve been out of work, kicking back at home, waiting for the phone to ring, and that is torment. Did I ever believe I’d still be working in my Seventies? No way. Am I grateful? Absolutely. Age has a way of making you think less about yourself. You see, when you’re younger, you believe you’re the center of the universe. Eventually, you learn to enjoy how others help make your world a more interesting place. I enjoy being older. I think it’s pretty cool, in fact, although I would never lose my roots. They define who I am, and once you figure that out, then life is much easier, and the world becomes your playground. STRIPLV: How have you gone through life picking movies? What’s the process? MIRREN: Well, the genre is actually the least important thing. What you are acting and who you are trying to embody is really only the end part of the process and actually one of the least satisfying parts. The intensity of acting and drama is actually the stuff that comes from inside you. It’s the feeling it gives you deep down that counts. Everything else, certainly in the sense of how cool or suave or muscular you look, is superficial. STRIPLV: How do you unwind? MIRREN: Usually by heading to our home in Salento in Italy. I lead a very relaxing, quiet life away. I spend my days gardening, going to the markets, and occasionally enjoying parties in the most scenic settings, you can imagine. One day though, I was sitting on a bench, and my husband was in the town, and I saw a man passing by on a bicycle, and for some reason, I don’t really know why that moment and scene touched my heart. I thought to myself, “This is where I belong’.” STRIPLV: Is there something that, even all these years on in the business, you still can’t fathom? MIRREN: That would be my ability to master the American accent. You know, I find it totally impossible, which, considering I’ve lived there for many years, and my husband’s American, is peculiar. I feel like I‘ll never properly get it. I’m not sure I’ll ever get it. I’ve done all the accents, French, Irish, Scottish, Russian, but American, I find it a beautiful accent, especially the sounds in Southern Carolinas, so mellifluous. Still, there’s a way it flows that my tongue and palette can’t quite seem to master. I find the experience very inhibiting. STRIPLV: Have you contemplated giving up on being a movie star and staying put in Salento? MIRREN: I’m not a movie star. I’ve never thought of myself as that. Do I have a box office draw like Meryl Streep’s? Now she is a movie star. Age certainly doesn’t put me off getting out there. Fortunately, I’m someone whose nature it is to live very much in the present and not get depressed about time passing or my appearance. I would rather get on with my life. One good thing about getting older is that even though you might not look as good as you once did, you just don’t care. The only thing that occasionally strikes me with regard to age is that I sometimes find myself asking, “Where has my life gone?” Then I simply appreciate that I’ve worked hard and tried to do interesting things. When someone passes, does it make you ponder life? I think that’s unavoidable really. You can’t help but let it affect you. It’s only natural. It reminds us about the fragility of life, which can be very overwhelming, but you can’t be ruled by it. That’s why we can only do our best. That’s why we try to live our lives well, and I feel I have done it. STRIPLV: Do you still intend to grow old gracefully? MIRREN: No, I’ve changed my mind on that now. I decided a short while ago that, given that for most of my life, I have enjoyed being a rebel, I’m going to carry on being one!
DAME HELEN MIRREN FOUR WAYS MIRREN BROKE THE MOLD FOR WOMEN IN HOLLYWOOD
ONE Calendar Girls In the film Calendar Girls, Mirren and several other midlife ladies disrobed to tell the true story of a Women’s Institute in Yorkshire, in the north of England, who had stripped naked for a fundraising calendar. While other actresses were understandably shy about bearing all, Mirren led the charge. Director Nigel Cole even noted that he had to force the actress to put her robe back on after shooting her scene because she reveled in strutting around in her birthday suit.
TWO Modern feminism As a new social movement gathered pace at the start of the Seventies, there was a set belief, by feminists, for how feminists should behave and dress. Mirren fought against the stereotype, saying, “I loved people like Germaine Greer, and I loved what they were saying, but I was the kind of feminist that wanted to wear high heels and lipstick, and that wasn’t on in the late Sixties. You couldn’t be a feminist and do that kind of thing, and I was going to change that.”
THREE Michael Parkinson interview British talk show host Michael Parkinson was the David Letterman of the Seventies. In a famous interview, Mirren rebuffed what was said to be a string of sexist comments and observations fired her way, beginning with the actress’s introduction as a “Sex Queen.” Mirren stood her ground and won the battle.
FOUR Awards Dame Helen Mirren’s string of major awards, from debut domination in 1984 for her portrayal of Marcella in Cal to the 2022 Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award, and over 100 nominations in between, epitomizes her presence and staying power during a time of life when many female actresses previously have been pushed to the periphery.