The Journal Meets... Dame Helen Mirren
Dame Helen Mirren has had a remarkable run of success in the cinema recently, which started with The Queen and continued through a great many star studded movies such as Red and the sequel to National Treasure.
Her new film is The Debt, in which she stars as Rachel, a retired Mossad agent held up as a hero in her home country for bringing down a notorious Nazi war criminal years ago, but haunted by a devastating truth that would destroy her reputation. With a wealth of top UK talent behind the film, including actor Tom Wilkinson and screenwriters Matthew Vaughan and Jane Goldman, there was a whole host of reason why Mirren was attracted to the role.
“It was a really interesting story, lovely role, and then there’s John Madden, who I’d worked with on Prime Suspect, and whom is a great director," she said. "So, that’s a combination that you really can’t say no to.”
The part demanded some physicality, however the actress didn’t need any combat training. “I didn’t have to take any self-defence classes,” she laughed. “Jessica (Chastain, who plays the younger Rachel) did, she did the fight stuff. I do have a fight in it, we call it the geriatric fight."
It’s not often you see a female character in action, so would she be tempted to take on a Bond-like role in the future? “Yes, I’d love to. What’s the character Judy (Dench) plays in the Bond movies? M? Imagine a film just about that character. I’d love to do it.”
When asked if there’s anything from her past she would like to keep secret, the actress smiles and said: "I think the thing that will haunt me for the rest of my life is that bloody photograph of myself in a bikini. In and of itself, it is a lie because I don't actually look like that and I know that that is going to haunt me forever and I'll be forever trying to bury it unsuccessfully."
