At 79 years, Helen Mirren has the career that most actors dream of. And we don’t talk past either. Mirren is livelier than she has ever been and holds down two prestige paramount+ series almost simultaneously: the last season of Taylor Sheridan’s epic Western “1923” And the first season of “MOMANDER”, a British crime drama that was partly directed by Guy Ritchie.
During “1923” she plays the Villy Border Woman Cara Dutton, the matriarch of a family of farmers who have to do with the intrusion of modernity and is constantly struggling to keep their farm afloat. And in “Mochland,” she is Maeve Harrigan, the ruthless matriarch for a crime family operating in today’s London. This is the mirror of her most toxic and endless, when she pushes her capo -husband, Conrad (Pierce Brosnan), to new business lines and eggs on Eddie (Anson Boon), her more dark villain grandchildren (who may not even be her grandchild at all). At the same time, both characters are Irish.
She is also as sharp and fun and skilled an artist who ever came over when we talked to her recently over Zoom. After we said we were curious about something, she shot back with a laugh, “I don’t think you are to Curious. ”Oh, but we were.
What drew you to “1923“ And “mochland”?
When it comes to “1923”, it had to do with my two leading men: I had Taylor Sheridan and I had Harrison Ford, two rather amazing forces in American entertainment. Harrison always says, “I just got on board because you were on board.” And I always say, “No, I just got on board because you were on board.” Obviously, they quickly pulled on both of us. But we were both there because of Taylor, mainly. Even with Taylor you have to jump in without reading anything. You have no idea who or what you play, because he says he likes to write for the actor he knows he works with, which makes sense to me. But that means you have to become blind. You really don’t know what awaits you.
And in a way, with “mob mix”, it was not such a different scenario because I worked with Pierce Brosnan on a Chris Columbus movie called “The Thursday Murder Club” It will come out pretty soon. And we were both asked at the same time. It was the same: I was told that he was in it and he was told that I was in it, only we happened to work together so that we could ask each other, and we discussed it together. It is a combination of working with Pierce, who is an actor that I both admire and love deeply. He is such a good guy. I knew it would be fun and just a wonderful trip. And of course Guy Ritchie. Again, two leading men.
Both of these characters are also so juicy.
Oh, of course. When it comes to “1923” I didn’t know. “Mob mix,” I think I just read the first episode, so we didn’t really know where it was going. It was fun. I love that feeling of jumping into the unknown. I’ve always had it.
You had no idea how roguish your “Moskand“ character where? Would you have played her differently to know that?
No. I love having to invent in place. I love that process. I love reading something that I have no idea what it is and discover it when you go. I think it is very creative. And “mochland” Was so. I hope we can do it again.
Enters season 2 of “1923“ You probably knew her bow, after playing her already.
Oh no, absolutely not. Then I obviously know the character, who the person is. The relationship, Harrison and I fell in a very natural and simple way. But no, I had no idea. I thought I might die. Actually. I thought, “Oh, they will definitely kill me. I will have a horrible illness and die, probably.” But that was not the case. So no idea. It’s so fun. Here comes section 6. What will happen?
You have been doing this for so long, what is you still attracting you about projects like these?
I was 21 years old when I started acting professionally. And many things are still attracting me. Technology is constantly evolving, and I have obviously seen so enormous technology changes in my career. And every time you go on a movie set, there is new technology or a new idea that Props Guy has come up with that you have never seen before or a new way of focusing. The focus is extraordinary because the most important person on the set is actually the focuser. More important than the director or actor is Focus Puller and the whole technology now for focus drawing, which has been digitized. It is very exciting to look at all these developments, I think. And also discover wonderful new young actors, see the next generation show up.
This story first ran in the drama issue of Thewrap’s Awards Magazine. Read more from the question here.
