April 19 2013
I am just coming out of the long dark tunnel that has been the preparation, rehearsal and staging of a new play by Peter Morgan, called The Audience. This process  has been fraught with fears and tears and terrors. It has also been a great success, but somehow that does nothing to allay the fear. It was all not helped by getting a very bad cold, that made me feel crap, and afraid of losing my voice. Thank god I am out of that now, and can concentrate on getting the play better and better. I an hugely helped in that by a great cast of fellow actors, all of whom are just fantastic in their roles, and keep me going by their brilliance and energy. Haydn Gwynne in particular these past weeks has had the great challenge of playing Mrs. Thatcher. She did so with great verve and commitment. It was magic to be onstage with her, and feel the reverberation from the audience.  Every 2 weeks or so, we make adjustments to the scene I play with Cameron, brilliantly performed by Rufus Wright, to reflect certain current affairs.
To do theater is very consuming. The whole day is spent in some kind of preparation, and there is little energy left for normal fun stuff. It’s a bit like going into a convent!
However, spring is coming, and I hope with the warmer weather and longer days, I will come out of this chrysalis I have been inhabiting.
Love Helen
PS
Dont forget.. use as little plastic as possible. Dont buy water in plastic bottles. Polystyrene and plastic is throttling the world!

February 2

Taylor and I spent a great Christmas in Italy and then in Los Angeles where we have just welcomed into the world Taylor’s first grandchild, a beautiful little boy with the very American sounding  name of Waylon. In fact it is of Anglo Saxon origins, so that makes me happy. Taylor and I are both in Love. Enough said!
Another very exciting arrival for me was the reveal of my star on "the Hollywood Walk of fame"
I am inordinatly proud of this. As I live in Hollywood, with Taylor, I am often on those pavements. 
Here is a tourist tip. The coffee in Tiago, on the corner of La Brea and Hollywood is very very good. It has always been a thrill for me to see all those names, both famous and now forgotten. in a way I find the forgotten names more moving than the famous, clearly reflecting the fleeting nature of fame in the entertainment industry!  
I finished filming Red 2 just before Christmas. It was so great to hook up again with friends, lovely tough girly Mary Louise Parker,  lovely tough softy, Bruce Willis, and Mr Renaissance, John Malkovitch, and do something that is pure fun, with great actors. 
As soon as the Christmas break was over, I was straight into rehearsals for
The Audience , which opens all too soon!
However, it is been an absorbing rehearsal process, to watch my fellow actors inhabit the various Prime Ministers. They are all remarkable.
The process of learning has been intense and terrifying. My relaxation and escape has been to watch old episodes of the vicar of Dibley, or The Big Bang Theory, two shows I love.
Just a couple of nights ago, I did the Graham Norton show. It is always rather intimidating to do a talk show, but of all of them, Graham is the only one where the host really relaxes you, and you can genuinely have some fun.
Talk soon, Got to go look at the script!
Love Helen 





October 23rd

It’s been a great summer. Not least because of the wonderful Olympics and the miraculous transformation of London into a place of sunniness, and I don’t mean the weather.
Some of the summer was taken up with shooting a film about Alfred Hitchcock and his wife Alma. This film was made in Los Angeles, which is a rare thing these days. All those great old Movie Studios are now full of crews making TV series.
This film was shot in a wonderful small and old Studio ironically now called Red Studios, because it is owned by the makers of the successful digital film camera called the Red.  Actually this studio was originally a studio used  to make TV. It used to be called Desilu, and was where that iconic series I Love Lucy was filmed. The great Lucille Ball sat in that very commissary. The studios have not been particularly modernized, so you can still see the original fittings from the 30’s.
I have always loved the history of Hollywood Filmmaking. My first job in Los Angeles was the film 2010, which was shot on the old MGM studio lot. At that time the studios still had that marvelous logo of the roaring lion over the gates. The enormous dusty studios were hauted by  the ghosts of those great musicals and costume dramas made through the 30’s 40’s and 50’s; the professional home to Norma shearer, Joan Crawford and Greta Garbo, Judy Garland, Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly.
The huge stage where we made the film was the site of the Esther Williams movies. Beneath our feet there was a pool, now covered over. In corners there were the old “leaning Boards” made for the actresses who could not sit down in their heavy costumes and wigs. Here they could lean and rest. [I have subsequently asked for a similar thing to be made for me on shoots where I have worn heavy costumes, wigs and corsets.] I loved driving onto that lot in my borrowed convertible Mustang, pretending to be a movie star.
The film of "Hitchcock", recreating those days,  was written and directed by a brilliant young British talent called Sacha Gervase.
He was a great delight to work with, and handled Anthony Hopkins and myself with grace and wit. He has made a funny and moving film out of an unexpected subject matter. Sir Tony is absolutely great as Alfred.   The film company, Fox Searchlight will be releasing the film in the US in November, and in Britain in February, and have good hopes for it. 
I have also taken the time to be with my husband. We spent a couple of weeks in Italy together, pretending to be Italian small holders, picking grapes and pomegranates and making olive oil. We have planted 400 pomegranate trees that have just produced their first harvest. My husband picked everyone himself! It took days.
We planted the trees to take advantage of the very powerful antioxidant qualities of that beautiful fruit. Hopefully in the future we will be making our own juice.
Back now in London, I am beginning the preparations for the play I am doing in London next year. This is “the Audience” written by Peter Morgan, writer of “the Queen”, “Frost Nixon”, and will be opening in the West End in the Gielgud Theater in March.
I am also filming, here in London with Bruce Willis, Mary Louise Parker and the inimitable John Malkovitch on Red 2… the band is getting back together again. And Anthony Hopkins is in that too! So from having never worked with Mr. Hopkins, I now get to do 2 films with him in one year. Lucky me.
All for now, much Love Helen


This last month has been a sad one for me. I have lost two great friends, and my profession has lost two great Artists. Theadora Van Runkle and Bruno Rubeo both passed away this month.
Theadora was a wonderful costume designer, most famous for her work on “Bonnie and Clyde”. Her designs swept the fashion world away and in the following years, girls all over the world were wearing the look she created for Faye Dunaway. She went on to do many films. I met her when she worked with my husband on a film, “ Everybody’s all American”
I fell in love with her. She had a wonderful extravagant nature, combining romance, glamour and bohemia. She laughed and cried and grabbed life with both hands. She was a fantastic painter, doing the most beautiful watercolours. Her little house in Los Angeles is one of the most magical environments I have ever been in, reflecting her taste and artistry. She was a huge inspiration for me. I shall never forget her.
Bruno was one of Taylor’s very best friends, a dear family friend. He was also a very great production designer. He worked on 5 of Taylor’s films. It is because of Bruno and his very lovely wife Mayas that we have a house in Italy. We loved the idea of sharing our life there with them.
Bruno, like Theadora, was above all an artist, a lover of life , with an incredible creative sensibility.
His designs were spectacular. Recently he did beautiful work on Pacino’s film of ‘Merchant of Venice’. My favourite example of his work is on my husband’s film ‘Devil’s Advocate”. Again with Al Pacino, Bruno’s realization of the Devil’s office at the end of the film is inspired.
Taylor and I attended his funeral in Umbria. It was as if Bruno himself had designed it. Very very sad, and very beautiful.
Dear Theadora, and dear Bruno, Thank you for all the beauty, for the creativity and inspiration . I will miss you both terribly, 





Sept 12

After the last blog, I was off to Canada to do a fun job. It was a reading, with Jeremy Irons, of Midsummer Night’s Dream in a concert of the Mendelssohn music conducted by Lorin Maazel. We did it in Toronto and Washington. Jeremy was spectacular, extremely funny. He is a great comic actor. It was so great to be out there, in front of a full orchestra, in the open air. I know the play very well, having played Hernia, Helena and Titania!
Immediately after that I went to Moscow to attend the Film Festival. That gave me the opportunity to meet up again with my Russian relatives. They came to the screening of the film and we had time to catch up. 
On the 14th July, my English teacher from school, Mrs. welding, the person who inspired me to become an actress, had her 100th birthday. She is as bright and inspiring as she ever was, also as beautiful. As with so many truly great people, she is utterly modest.
Then off to Italy for what I hoped would be a protracted holiday, until November at least! 
I was on holiday in Italy with my sister, looking forward to a quiet summer of reading books, and watering geraniums, when a call came from my beloved American agent saying that Bette Midler had sadly just fallen out of a project, and would I like to step into the Divine Miss M’s shoes? It was a project written and directed by David Mamet and co starring the very great Al Pacino. How could any actress say no? They wanted me to start work pretty well immediately. This was an intimidating idea, so of course I had to say yes.
A week or so later I found myself in a very hot New York, being fitted with Ms M’s wig..
 An earthquake and a hurricane later I have just finished the project. Neither of these natural occurrences compared to the thrill of working opposite Al Pacino. He is just the most extraordinary actor I have ever worked with, constantly inventive, free, and totally committed. His work off screen is as powerful as what he does for the camera, he just can’t stop himself. He is also very supportive of all the actors who work with him, loving the process and performers. One of the highlights of my career.
In the meantime we tragically lost another great artist, Amy Winehouse. Many words have been written about her, including a really good piece written by my friend Russell Brand.
I can only say that I loved her music, and am so sad that we have all been deprived of the flowering of that brilliant talent. 
I finished my work in New york just before Sept 11. This year being the 10 year anniversary.
I was in New york on that terrible , monumental day, just finishing the rehearsal run for Dance of Death, the black comedy by Strindberg, that I was doing on Broadway with Sir Ian Mckellen.
So I witnessed first hand the great courage and cohesivness of the New Yorkers as they dealt with this massive tragedy. I am not by nature a nationalistic person, but I flew the American flag in those months. The people on Capitol Hill right now could learn a lesson. 
Now I am back with Taylor who is shooting a film in New Orleans, still and always one of the greatest cities in the world.
See you soon!
PS don’t forget to vote in the “ Scream” election. It would mean a lot to me…

June 27

I have just heard that the acting profession has lost one of its finest, Margaret Tyzack, known as Maggie to all her fellow actors.
I began my career on television with Maggie, playing to her Cousin Bette. Then a whole lifetime and many roles later, both hers and mine, we played together onstage in Phedre. It was as if no time had passed. Maggie was still the kind, indomitable, funny, wry, generous person she was in 1971. I had admired her and learnt from her in 1971, and when 2009 came around, I was still admiring and learning from her. Her attitude to her work was always instinctive, sensible and unfussy. As we say, she just got on with it, but with such understated brilliance. There was always the feeling of a volcano beneath the surface, a fierce intelligence. She was also immense fun to be around, very hard working with always a great ironic sense of humour. She was supportive to her fellow actors, whether they were experienced or the ignorant green thing I was in 1971. She watched, encouraged and led by example. 
We will all miss her very much.

May 10

So it is spring in London, and I am very happy to be back in my hometown.
 May in any country in the northern hemisphere is the prettiest month, but it is particularly kind to London; the trees are a clean green, the river sparkles [from a distance] the pubs are heaving, the Londoners and their visitors are out and about, and the shops are full of girls eyeing frocks and sandals.
 On Sunday I went to my favourite parts of London, the East End markets. I started out in Petticoat Lane, went then to Bricklane, then on to Spitalfeilds. I got some great bargains, [a really nice dress for 10 pounds in Petticoat lane, for example]. Petticoat lane was full of the traditional immigrant people who have always populated the East End, now an exotic and colourful mix of Asian and African, Brick Lane full of young artists and trendies and Asians, and Spitalfields full of young even trendiers.
 Brick Lane amazed me. It was absolutely packed with with food, with shops and with people, mostly young. Spitalfields is all posh and done up. I loved the old Spitalfields, and you see that change with some sadness for the loss of the old. They at least have kept some of the old market, I am sure with a battle. I cheer those who fought for the old. The new, however, is pretty glossy and also lovely to be in and around, and also full of Londoners enjoying the shops, bars and restaurants available. City Life at its best. Next week Whitechapel, a market I love, and Roman Road. I count myself an East End woman. My mother’s family was from West Ham since forever and I grew up in Southend on Sea, the St Tropez for east London. 
We had our big Premiere of Aurthur, also on the East side of London. We were lucky that Warners made the film, because they are well known for really doing a great job in marketing and openings. An uber efficient and funfilled person, Louisa Radcliffe, organized the event. Now by the strange way life happens, she is kind of related to me in that she is the daughter of the lovely man married to my cousin, Tania. 
Taylor met her with me many years ago, and was immediately impressed by her and asked her to be his assistant on “Proof of Life” She did so, and survived my husbands demanding nature with flying colours. She then decided to stay in the film business, and joined Warner Bros in the Marketing department where she has done extremely well. Leicester square was unavailable fro our premiere because of reconstruction, so it took place in the O2. This meant we could arrive by river, so the director, producers and actors took a boat and cruised past my beloved East End of London. I was the tour guide, pointing out the sights, like one of those tourist boats. 
 I thought the O2 was a great place for a big opening. It was wonderful, with lots of fans and 3 cinemas available for the screenings. A slight drawback was that the bus taking guests to the after party in Canary wharf got hopelessly lost and did a fine tour of the Blackwall tunnel [twice] and Deptford before finding Canary Wharf. A 10-minute journey took ¾ hour. Once they got there the food and the party was really great. They were ready for that drink! The best laid plans…
Back in Los Angeles a couple of weeks before, I was honoured to have my hand and feet cemented for posterity outside Graumans Chinese cinema on Hollywood Boulevard. This was enormously exciting for me.
Many years ago, like all first time visitors to LA, I made my way to Graumans, [now called Mann Theaters, to me it will always be Grauman’s] to look at the hand and feet of all those iconic Hollywood stars. At that time Hollywood Boulevard was peopled more by drug dealers and hookers, but to me it still retained the tattered glamour of old Hollywood. It is considerably cleaned up now, and the Oscars have come back to their spiritual home. Like the East End of London, that part of Los Angeles is experiencing a rebirth, and is so much the better for it. As much as I can appreciate the strange pleasures of urban decay, I guess in the end I am a middle class girl and I like walking without fear and the possibility of a nice cappuccino!
It was a great day for me. My whole family came, as most of them now live in Los Angeles and my sister was visiting as well. They were all sitting in the front row, looking up at me with big smiles on their faces, my husband, my stepsons, my nephew Simon and his wife and sons and my nephew Basil. Russell B made a spectacular speech for me, funny and very warm-hearted. I have said it before and I say it again, you could not find a kinder, more generous hearted person than his Russellness. I am inordinately proud that my hand and feet are with all those other great stars of the screen. I did both my hands and feet back to front to confound the tourists of the future.
Another big highlight followed closely on the footprint of the footprint so to speak. 
The following week I did my stint on the Iconic show Saturday Night Live. When they say live, that is exactly what it is. Russell had done it before me and gave me the wise advice to just let go and go with the flow, which is exactly what I did. 
 It was one of the more surreal weeks of my life, starting with a meeting where about 30 young writers sit on the floor in front of you and throw out ideas. It is a well crewed ship and brilliantly and strictly captained by Lorne Michaels. It was both terrifying and great fun to be a passenger on that venerable ship. The show itself passes in a mad blur of rushing around throwing on wigs and costumes. For an inveterate dresser upper like me it was heaven. 

All for right now,
I send you all love and the admonition to take care of your environment. Recycle your water bottles. The Thames is awash with them. Don’t use plastic bags except in an emergency. Mother Earth thanks you.


 

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Helen wins Olivier Award

Congratulations to Helen for winning the prestigious Olivier Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Audience. Helen is picture with Richard McCabe who won Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Harold Wilson.

The Audience continues to play to packed houses at The Gielgud Theatre London.  Tickets are returns only by checking with the box office.

Box Office: 0844 4825130 (UK only phone no.)
Website: www.theaudienceplay.com

RED 2 is due for release in July

The sequel to RED where Helen plays the retired spy Victoria is released on 19 July in the US and 26 July in the Uk.  Bruce Willis, Mary-Lou Parker and John Malkovich again star with new roles for Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.  This time it is partly set in London and Helen had a great time filming there at the end of 2012.
 

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Helen was very busy at the end of 2012 filming RED2 in locations all over London and also promoting her new film Hitchcock (see UK premier below). She and Taylor spent Christmas in Italy and New Year in LA and then straight into rehearsals for The Audience (see details below), briefly suspended by a lightening visit back to LA for the Golden Globes. The Audience first preview is 15 February, opening 5 March and final performance 15 June. Keep checking here for news of her plans for later this year.

 

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Helen is delighted and honoured to have been nominated in the Best Actress category by for the Golden Globes and the Screen Actors Guild for her role as Alma Reville, Hitchcock’s wife in the film ‘Hitchcock’. Here she is with her co-star Anthony Hopkins at the UK premiere of ‘Hitchcock’ in London. The film is released in the UK in February 2013.

Theo Woods/Twentieth Century Fox
 

 

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Helen becomes Patron of the Voluntary Responders Group and learns CPR


 

 

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Helen narrates at the Diamond Jubilee Pageant at Windsor Castle
Helen took a break from filming 'Hitchcock' to make a lightening trip to the UK to narrate at the Diamond Jubilee Pageant: 'All the Queen’s Horses'  in front of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It was a spectacular show involving over 500 horses and many more performers from all over the world. It will be broadcast in the UK on ITV on Sunday 3 June 2012 as part of the Jubilee celebrations. Helen declared she was thrilled to be invited to narrate and really enjoyed the experience.

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British Comedy Awards

Helen had a fun time presenting the Lifetime Achievement Award to the comedy panel show ‘Have I Got News For You’ and looked stunning in a star-studded dress by Dolce and Gabbana and a Chopard star necklace. Next day she flew to Berlin for ‘A Heart for Children’ German TV children’s charity fundraiser where she presented a special award to honour Sister Raphaela for her remarkable work with AIDs orphans & children in Namibia and Tanzania.




Rex Features

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Nobel Peace Prize Concert 2011

Helen co-hosted with Rosario Dawson the Nobel Peace Prize Concert: for full details of the line-up and event <http://nobelpeaceprizeconcert.  The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to three extraordinary women Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Leymah Gbowee and Tawakkol Karman and Helen attended the very moving ceremony and also met and interviewed all three Laureates.


 

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Helen and Jessica Chastain at the NY premiere of The Debt

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Helen stars with Al Pacino in the HBO film of ‘Phil Spector’
Less than a week after filming of the HBO Films movie Phil Spector was suspended after co-star Bette Midler had to pull out for medical reasons, the producers of the David Mamet-written and directed movie have found a replacement. And boy did they deliver. Oscar winner Helen has been tapped to star opposite Al Pacino in the film, which explores the client-attorney relationship between legendary music producer Phil Spector (Pacino) and defense attorney Linda Kenney Baden (Mirren), who represented Spector during his first trial for murder. Helen is delighted to have had the opportunity and challenge of this new role.  Watch this space for a release date.
Phillip V. Caruso/HBO  


 

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Helen attending the Moscow Film Festival for a screening of The Debt
Helen made a ‘flying’ visit to Moscow for the Film Festival which was showing her new film The Debt due for US release on 31 Aug and UK 30 Sept. She looked particularly chic in an electric blue dress by Jaeger with Chopard jewellery. She was also honoured at the closing ceremony with the Stanislavski Award and gave part of her acceptance speech in Russian. Helen was most appreciative of her trip and the hospitality from everyone in Moscow and hopes to be able to return for a longer visit in the near future.


 

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Helen has her hands and footprints impressed in cement in Hollywood’s Walk of Fame

Getty Images/Alberto Rodriguez 
Wire Image

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Check out Helen in this link in Funny or Die as you may never seen her before!

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Welcome to HMAS members joining the website. You may have noticed that we now have the additional web addresses of www.helenmirren.com and www.helenmirren.net which were transferred to us from the HMAS website when it closed. Sending a big 'thank you' to all those who were involved in founding and running the HMAS site for many years in such a dedicated fashion. Their hard work and generosity of spirit in transferring the domain names is also much appreciated.

 

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 Prime Suspect box set
The complete box set of Prime Suspect is available in the US and for all those who enjoyed Helen's performance it's great that you can now watch the entire series on DVD, priced at $124.99. For those of you not living in the US we are hoping it will be released in other parts of the world in the not too distant future.

 

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See Current Projects page for details of recent film projects.