News for
Helen Mirren

photos

board

add

contact

details

15 articles from 2008

14 July 2008 3:12 AM, PDT | From Digitalspy | See recent digitalspy news

Helen Mirren has confessed that she almost gave up acting after losing out on several top roles to more famous women. The Oscar winner admitted that retirement was on her mind before husband Taylor Hackford talked her around. She said: "There was a time when I felt like giving up on my career because all the decent roles were given to Hollywood actresses with bigger profiles than me. "I started crying and told Taylor my difficulties. He just took me aside and said, 'Don't worry. We're only this far along in our life together (more)

By Simon Reynolds

14 July 2008 12:54 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Oscar-winner Dame Helen Mirren nearly turned her back on acting because she wanted to dedicate her life to her husband Taylor Hackford.

The Queen star married director Hackford in 1997 after an 11-year romance - and confesses she almost quit her craft when she was continually overlooked for movie roles.

She says, "Eventually I felt that I had to put my relationship before work. There was a time when I felt like giving up on my career because all the decent roles were being given to Hollywood actresses with bigger profiles than me."

But the 62-year-old's husband convinced her she could be successful as a wife and an actress.

Mirren adds, "He just took me aside and said: 'Don't worry. We're only this far along in our life together and still have all that time to go. Some will be hard and some will be easy but we'll make it."

Permalink | Report a problem

11 July 2008 12:44 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

George Clooney and Sir Paul McCartney have topped a poll of stars people would most like to take a vacation with.

Pop superstar Madonna, U.S. presidential candidate Barack Obama, celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay and Angelina Jolie also make the top ten, voted for by 1,000 travellers and compiled by luxury travel company Pivr.co.uk.

Company boss James Robinson explains the choices: "These stars are much more than just celebrities. They have talents; are philanthropists; have interesting and complex lives and enough anecdotes to keep anyone interested during a dinner party."

The top ten is as follows:

1: George Clooney

2: Sir Paul McCartney

3: Barack Obama

4: Madonna

5: Gordon Ramsay

6: Angelina Jolie

7: Dame Helen Mirren

8: Hugh Laurie

9: Nelson Mandela

10. Daniel Craig.

Permalink | Report a problem

3 July 2008 4:56 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren has revealed her fashion secret - shopping at second-hand clothes stores.

The Queen star, 62, is often hailed for her stylish wardrobe, but she admits most of her favourite outfits are not even new - let alone made by a designer label.

She says, "I love second-hand shops. Or I make my own clothes because I've never found the kinds of things I liked."

Permalink | Report a problem

20 June 2008 10:27 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Dame Helen Mirren has finally come face to face with Britain's royal leader The Queen two years after she won an Oscar for playing her on film.

The Academy Award winner Mirren was forced to turn down an invitation to visit with Queen Elizabeth II following her Best Actress award triumph, because of work commitments.

But the pair met and chatted in the Royal Box at the Ascot race meeting in England on Thursday.

Permalink | Report a problem

12 May 2008 12:09 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Oscar-winning actress Dame Helen Mirren was only cast in a new epic movie because Meryl Streep turned down her part.

The star plays the wife of War And Peace author Leo Tolstoy in new movie The Last Station, but she wasn't director Michael Hoffman's first choice for the role.

But Mirren insists she is unfazed by the knowledge she failed to make the top of Hoffman's wish list - and instead the knock back inspires her to work even harder to prove herself.

She says, "Michael, I know very well that you offered the part to Meryl Streep before me, but it just makes me want to work all the harder.

"It's a really great role, and Meryl: I'm afraid you made a big mistake."

Permalink | Report a problem

17 April 2008 9:07 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Oscar-winner Dame Helen Mirren revisited her role as British royalty when she was invited to officially name the U.K.'s biggest ever cruise liner at a ceremony in Southampton, England, on Wednesday.

The Queen actress gave the orders for Royal Marine commandos to abseil from the bridge to the newly launched Ventura ship, and fans cheered as she 'christened' the liner by smashing a bottle of champagne against its bow.

The task is usually one left to Britain's royal family, but Mirren was called upon to complete the duty when it became clear that Queen Elizabeth Ii was unavailable.

Mirren will join fellow guests and crew on the $660 million (GBP330 million) ship to enjoy a luxurious two-week holiday on the 3,600-capacity cabin cruise ship.

At the naming ceremony, she said, "It's an incredible pleasure and honour. I wish the ship luck and love and calm seas on her voyages."

Permalink | Report a problem

2 April 2008 12:14 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Dame Helen Mirren turned down the chance to perform onstage with late The Who drummer Keith Moon, after he broke into her West End theatre dressing room.

The British actress was performing in a 1974 London production of a David Hare play, when she was confronted by the hellraiser, who was desperate to perform in her backing band.

She tells U.S. talk show host Conan O'Brien, "I did a play about the rock and roll business called Teeth and Smiles. I was playing the Janis Joplin character.

"One night I was about to go on, and I heard this incredible crashing and banging coming from the ally where the stage door is. I looked out the back, and this completely drunken guy was climbing out of a trash can, covered in trash and with a pin-striped suit on. A complete madman. Then I heard the crashing and banging coming through the stage door, and up the stairs. It stopped outside the dressing room.

"I opened the door and it was Keith Moon. He said, 'Hello darling, I hear you're wonderful in this play.'

"I said, 'It's nice to meet you, but I have to go onstage now.' He said, 'That's all right, I'll come with you. I'll come and play in your band.'

"I'm so idiotic. I said, 'No, you can't.' That's why I'm not rock 'n' roll.

"One of my biggest regrets is that I didn't play onstage with Keith Moon."

Permalink | Report a problem

27 March 2008 10:16 PM, PDT | From Watcher | See recent Watcher news

Not every historical drama has to be as deep and serious as HBO’s “John Adams,” which is admirable and engaging but not exactly escapist viewing.

Sometimes you  just want to escape into the world of frock coats and palaces and corsets, and there’s a great tradition of costume dramas that seek to entertain more than they educate.

“Sense and Sensibility,” a two-part Pbs remake of the classic Jane Austen  novel (9 p.m. Sunday, Wttw-Ch. 11 ) does a credible job of telling the tale of the Dashwood sisters, despite some unnecessary melodramatic flourishes and an inconsistent tone. Yet by focusing on the characters within those Regency costumes, it manages to find the emotional truths that have kept Austen’s books in print for 200 years.

“The Tudors,” which returns for its second season Sunday (8 p.m., Showtime),  gets the pomp-and-circumstance part right, but is consistently disappointing in several other areas. Chief

Tempo

26 March 2008 5:07 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren has won another award to add to her collection - for taking her clothes off.

The Queen star was named as the top celebrity by the Naturist Society in the U.S. for "promoting healthy nudity".

The 62-year-old - who appeared naked in hit British film Calendar Girls in 2006, as well as a string of movies throughout her career - was also chosen because she is an active nudist herself.

A spokesperson for the Naturist Society says, "She's actually a naturist and goes nude sunbathing. Nude is not lewd. It is beautiful."

The number two spot was given to The Closer star Kyra Sedgwick, who "sunbathes nude", with Lost star Matthew Fox in third place for admitting he loves to swim naked in Hawaii.

Other stars to enter the top ten for flaunting their bodies include Brad Pitt, Alanis Morissette, Lindsay Lohan, Goldie Hawn, Elle Macpherson and Kevin Bacon.

Permalink | Report a problem

24 March 2008 12:11 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Oscar-winner Helen Mirren was unaffected by the death of late royal Diana, Princess Of Wales - insisting she doesn't even remember where she was when she heard the tragic news.

The 62-year-old landed an Academy Award for her role as Queen Elizabeth Ii in 2006 movie The Queen, which focused on the aftermath of the princess's death in August 1997.

But Mirren remembers very little about that time.

She says, "I honestly can't remember where I was when Princess Diana was killed. I was in America but don't recall where. Everyone I know says they remember that moment, but I do not."

And the actress admits she was cynical about the public outpouring of sadness in the days after the tragic car crash in Paris.

She adds, "I did not see the public reaction as grief. I saw it as people, like addicts, having their drugs taken away from them."

Permalink | Report a problem

19 March 2008 9:08 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Dame Helen Mirren refused to join Britain's Women's Institute (Wi) organisation - because she didn't want to have children.

The Oscar winner admits she struggled to play Tricia Stewart in the 2003 movie Calendar Girls, which tells the tale of a group of Wi members who strip off to pose for a charity calendar.

While researching her role, Mirren found it hard to relate to the members the Wi, which largely caters to housewives and mothers in need of some social interaction.

She says, "The Women's Institute women are wonderful, but they could have risen to the very top. It's just that they have not chosen that route and instead have got married and had children.

"I did not and do not think that children were me. I have not changed me mind with age. The Wi wasn't my scene."

Permalink | Report a problem

16 March 2008 3:44 PM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Playing The Queen gave Oscar-winner Helen Mirren a greater sense of why England's reigning monarch disliked her late daughter-in-law Diana.

The hit film revolved around the Queen's response to the news of Diana's death in 1997 - and Mirren admits that playing Elizabeth Ii gave her a real understanding of why the two women didn't get along.

In a new interview with America's More magazine, Mirren explains, "(Women of that generation) had a real sense of discipline and a willingness to sacrifice to create a better world.

"That was my delight and my pleasure in playing the queen. Elizabeth was the iconic figure for that generation and embraced those values - duty, selflessness-very deeply.

"That's why she could never understand Diana."

Permalink | Report a problem

14 March 2008 11:30 AM, PDT | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

Helen Mirren hates getting recognised at airports - because her luggage is so "scruffy".

The Oscar-winning British actress insists her encounters with fans are usually "sweet", but she'd rather they leave her alone when she's waiting for her luggage at an airport or in line for the loo.

She tells America's More magazine, "There are only two really tough times to be recognised - one is when you're waiting for your luggage in the airport, and the other is when you are standing in line for the ladies.

"Then you're a captive and you either give up your place in line or you pretend that you don't want your luggage after all.

"And then the embarrassment of my scruffy luggage when it does come out."

Permalink | Report a problem

14 March 2008 11:27 AM, PDT | From Watcher | See recent Watcher news

Founding father John Adams isn’t your typical HBO protagonist. His greatest failing is not a penchant for murder, adultery or multiple wives. He’s not even much of a narcissist. Now that’s shocking.

The man portrayed in the miniseries “John Adams” (7 p.m. Sunday, HBO) is polite and well-spoken. And his devotion to his formidable wife, Abigail (portrayed here by Laura Linney with her typical fire and intelligence), has made the story of their long marriage a romance for the ages.

Adams’ greatest failing was a tendency to offend those whom he wished to win over, yet his passionate tenacity is still impressive more than 200 years later. Despite his temper and his unwillingness to compromise his beliefs — or maybe because of those qualities — the lofty concept of America as an independent, democratic nation became a reality.

Much of Adams’ career was founded on the idea that “a man may give offense,

Tempo

15 articles from 2008