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I’ll start with a confession: In general, I despise doing celebrity interviews. Why? Most celebrities don’t like doing them, as they’d rather be acting (or doing almost anything else), but promotion is unfortunately a necessary part of their work. So I’ve always felt like an uninvited guest in their presence, no matter how friendly or patient they are.
However. When I was recently offered the chance to interview Dame Helen Mirren in celebration of the 20th anniversary of L’Oréal Paris’ Women of Worth campaign, how could I resist the opportunity to speak with one of the most brilliant actors of our age? Also, her age, which is 80. Eighty!
It’s difficult to come up with another actor who has been more prolific—and not only prolific, but celebrated. Mirren has won a counting game of awards—among them, one Oscar, four BAFTAs, three Golden Globes, five Emmys, and one Tony—the list reads like a compendium of all the awards one could possibly be considered for. She’s the only performer to have achieved both the American Triple Crown of acting (an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony) and the British Triple Crown (both the British Academy Film and TV awards and the Laurence Olivier Award).
You might think a person who’d achieved that kind of acclamation would be happy to take a breath, slow down the pace a bit, maybe enjoy a few moments of reflection. Not the person of Helen Mirren. She’s currently gracing the TV screen in 1923, Mobland, and The Thursday Murder Club. And she’s in the upcoming Kate Winslet-directed movie Goodbye June, as well as another in which she plays the novelist Patricia Highsmith.
The hour of our interview kept being put off and put off, from three o’clock to four to five, to six. I assumed this was because Mirren was working (when is she not working, I wondered), which made me feel increasingly concerned about taking up her time. So when our Zoom call finally began in the early evening, I opened by telling her, “I’m going to try to make this as quick and easy as possible.” I’m afraid my tone was more threatening mob boss than reporter (“We can do this the easy way, Dame Helen, or we can do it the hard way…”) Mirren was, naturally, poised and lovely and as gracious as you might imagine she would be.
Eight years after Mirren covered the Allure issue in which the term "anti-aging" was banned from its vocabulary forever, Mirren continues to represent the notion that, when it comes to presence, spirit, artistic gifts—and liberal use of the word f*ck—age is absolutely not a factor. On the other hand, 80. As a person on the cusp of 75, I had some questions.
Mirren on the cover of Allure in September 2017.
Scott Trindle
Allure: Do you remember the first time you noticed even a small manifestation of age in your face or body?
Helen Mirren: Not really, because it’s so incremental. It happens in tiny, tiny moments. I mean, you realize it hurts to turn over in bed, or suddenly something that never hurt before does, or it takes you longer to recover from a sprain or an injury.
I think the process has been so incremental for me because I’m photographed all the time in either stills or movies, so looking at myself is unfortunately something I have to do all the time. Every morning I have to look at myself in the mirror while I’m being made up.
So there’s never been a particular moment when I suddenly went, Oh my god, that’s changed! But there are issues, constantly, to do with getting older, no question.
Allure: Like what? Does a Dame suffer the same indignities as the rest of us?
Mirren: One’s hair, the thickness of one’s hair, for example. And certainly Covid was difficult, because when you’re older you sort of suddenly feel like you’re losing two years of your precious life, when you realize you don’t have that many years left. That feeling of losing creative years was a challenge.
I always say, well, you die young or you get old. There’s nothing in between. And I never wanted to die young. I’m too curious about life; I want to see what happens next! It’s such an adventure, the whole thing. And it is so sad, as you get older, the children of your friends die in accidents and it’s devastating to lose a young life…
Allure: Getting dark around here! Looking on the brighter side, are you interested in trying to extend your life, as some ambitious wellness gurus are, for another 30, 40 years?
Mirren: I mean, already the age I am is probably way past the age I would’ve lived to 100 years ago. But I think it’s a bit of a dream and a fantasy [that life extension stuff], because when they think of being 150, they don’t think of actually being 150-years-old. They’re thinking of being 30 for 150 years. And that’s just not the way the world or nature works.
We have to put ourselves—the “we” being in the royal sense—in the rolling, endless stream of humanity. We’re just a small part of it, really.
Allure: And how do you take care of yourself; do you have a beauty routine?
Mirren: Honestly, I don’t really take care of myself and I never have. I’m the sort of person who goes into a drugstore and I cannot walk out without spending at least $30 on a new something-or-other. But at the same time, I’m not obsessive and I just grab whatever’s in front of me to use. I mean, olive oil is a great thing, for example. Or castor oil is a great thing. Lemon juice is a great thing.
Allure: That sounds less like a beauty routine than a grocery list.
Mirren: [Laughing] But then a sort of beautiful serum in a beautiful bottle, that’s a fun thing to use. I have to say it’s really random, what I use. I think my biggest beauty tip would be: Don’t smoke. I used to pretend to smoke because I thought it looked sophisticated, but I never got addicted to nicotine. And I feel very, very sympathetic to people who are, because it’s a terrible addiction.
Allure: But of course you avoid the sun?
Mirren: No, I don’t avoid the sun! I love sunbathing and everyone says you’re not supposed to do that, but I just love the sun. I’m a Russian! I put sunblock on my face and a sort of [SPF] 30 or something on the rest of my body [laughing], hoping for the best.
[In 2004, Mirren was named Naturist of the Year, to which she responded, “I do believe in naturism and am my happiest on a nude beach with people of all ages and races!"]
Allure: I love your attitude, and wonder whether your casualness, your openness has increased with age. I’m a bit less strict, like I’ll drink wine with dinner even though I know it’s not good for me, because I’m thinking what the…
Mirren: F*ck. That’s what you’re thinking, what the f*ck! Well, absolutely, I mean my God, please. I’ve always said, do everything, but don’t do too much of anything.
Allure: And about doing everything: You’ve been with L’Oréal Paris for two decades, which means you joined the Women of Worth campaign when you were a young squab of 60. How did it feel to be asked to join?
Mirren: I was enormously flattered to be asked. Quite honestly, I was not young. I was old, actually, by lots of people’s ideas. So it was incredible. I thought it was wonderful that they asked me because certainly through my middle age years it would enrage me to see an ad with a girl who’s 15-years-old with the most perfect skin and be told that if you use this product this is what you’re going to look like. Because, why are you treating me like a fool? And it used to make me so angry. So I was so happy to see that change in attitude, to saying, no, actually, women, you want to look great, but you don’t want to look 15 when you’re 55. You can’t. It’s impossible. And you don’t actually want to; you want to look like a beautiful, cool, energetic…55-year-old!
Allure: Do you remember a photo you posted on Instagram a few years ago of yourself completely un-made up? I was going to say it was brave, but I don’t really think it was brave.
Mirren: It certainly was not! But I love makeup. It really, really makes you look better. And it's an art. During Covid I got up and put on a full face of makeup every day. I never left the house. But if I was in the house and just accidentally caught sight of myself in the mirror, I could just go, oh yeah, you look okay.
Allure: Well, that’s one way to take care of yourself. And what’s the one thing you would never do without?
Mirren: It’s a battle between mascara and lipstick. Probably mascara; I’ve got very light-colored eyelashes.
Allure: Time’s almost up! Quick and easy, like I said. Do you have any advice for women who are afraid of getting older, afraid of seeing the manifestations of age in their face?
Mirren: It's going to happen, baby. You can be as afraid as you like, but that's not going to change anything. It's going to happen. So live with it. It’s your journey through life. My mom always said, don't ever be afraid of getting older. She said, when you’re 16, the thought of being 30—it's like 30, you’re old! And you flounce around saying it's awful to be 30. And then you get to be 30. And you know what? It's great being 30, actually, I think 30 to 40 is the best age of all, and you do not want to be 16 again. It's fabulous, being 30, and likewise 40, 50, 60, and beyond.
There are disadvantages, no question. But there are also great advantages. And you learn this as you travel through life. But I think it's perfectly natural and normal for a 16-year-old to be terrified of being 40 because you know, the world is their oyster at that moment. It's theirs for the taking. They are the generation who's going to take the world on. And I love them for that. And I applaud them. And I can't wait to see what they're going to make of the world. It's their turn. I've had my turn and now it's theirs. And that's the natural order of things.
Allure: And what might be the most fabulous aspect of being 80?
Mirren: Everything! I find everything about it [fabulous]. F*ck it, I'm alive and I'm working and I can drink a glass of wine and I can wear makeup and I can listen to music and I can watch a beautiful sunset and I can go to the theater and I can watch a movie and I can binge Netflix and I can live life. It's a beautiful thing.
