The Magnetic Helen Mirren
She's hot, she's sexy, she's timeless.
Like a fine wine, British actor Helen Mirren has only gotten better with age. She’s been performing most of her life, landing the lead, her first time out, in her grade school’s production of Hansel and Gretel. So it’s no surprise that today, with over 150 roles in theater, TV, and film on her resume, that Dame Helen Mirren, 72, is considered one of the greatest actors in the world.
She first got noticed here in the States for her part in the infamous Caligula (1979), a notorious mess of a movie about the sexual debauchery of the Roman Caesar, Caligula. Perhaps it was Mirren’s unflappable support of the critically panned movie that earned her our respect, that and her fearlessness at disrobing and participating in the many orgies filmed. Mirren, who recently declared she was through with nude scenes, said that making that film was an important learning experience and she’s grateful she got to act along side such notables as Malcolm McDowell and Peter O’Toole.
A few years later, she appeared in Excalibur with up-and-comers Gabriel Byrne, Patrick Stewart, and a young, handsome Liam Neeson, whom she soon moved in with. By 1986 she was living with director Taylor Hackford and they married in 1997.
As much as we admire all of Mirren’s work, what she’s best known for, understandably, is her role as the sharp yet internally conflicted Detective Chief Inspector Jane Tennison in the hugely popular British television series, Prime Suspect. As one of the first female detectives in London, Tennison is constantly dealing with blatant sexism amongst her subordinates, who simply won’t accept a woman ruling the roost. Tennison became a feminist hero for women everywhere, fighting for their rightful place in a man’s world.
Merrin herself is equally admired in the entertainment industry. Her ability to still play hot and sexy (REDS) or her actual age and a little silly (The Fate of the Furious) is why she remains a vital player in the Hollywood game. She’s got five films coming out next year, including The Leisure Seeker, a romantic comedy about a terminally ill couple who take off for one last trip cross-country in their RV, and the fantasy horror film, Winchester. In that, Mirren plays real-life nut-job Sarah Winchester, an heiress to the firearms fortune who’s convinced her house is haunted by the many souls the Winchester rifle has killed over the years. That’s a lot of ghosts!
Smart, hilariously self-deprecating, and cool AF—at the 2016 White House Correspondent’s Dinner, a few days after Prince’s death, Mirren wore a Purple Rain inspired lace dress and hand-drew the Prince symbol on her chest to commemorate the artist. In other words, Mirren can basically do no wrong in our eyes. And to that, we raise our glasses and say, Cheers!
The Leisure Seeker opens January 19, and Winchester opens February 2.
