Helen Mirren clarifies her candor
Who are we to judge a grande dame’s unflinching, witty honesty?
Thinking that people might get the wrong idea once the tabs had gotten their hooks into Helen Mirren’s candid remarks about cocaine use, date rape and stealing food while poor, the Oscar winner’s rep has reminded us of the magic word:
Context.
“Helen Mirren does not dispute the accuracy of statements attributed to her in an upcoming GQ article,” read a statement released Tuesday by Mirren’s publicist, Stan Rosenfield.
“She merely asks that people read the article in its entirety before drawing conclusions. If they do that, she says, their conclusions will likely be far less sweeping and sensational than those drawn by some in the popular press. She does not wish to qualify any of her remarks. She just wants to avoid having them presented in inflammatory language.”
The queen of salty award-show chatter needn’t fear—her lingo is entertaining enough on its own.
Here are some more snippets from her interview in the October issue of British GQ, which sure isn’t skimping on the sensationalism itself. Most of what she says really is about acting. Or, acting while naked:
* On taking off her clothes (more than once) on film: “Vanessa Redgrave and Glenda Jackson were my heroines, and they had got their own kit off quite happily from time to time while remaining really great actresses—the best in the country. And if they can do it, then f–k it—why not me?”
* When asked whether being beautiful has been an advantage in her career: “Well, no, actually it can be a terrible disadvantage. Because you’re not allowed to be intelligent if you’re a woman with big t-ts and blonde hair.”
* On plastic surgery: “Talking about plastic surgery is like talking about gynaecology, it’s just not right, tasteless. Having said that, if someone is miserable the way they look, why the hell should they have to keep getting up and feeling that way—let them do something about it.”
* How she really feels about drugs: “I hated it. Dope always made me feel miserable and paranoid and unhappy. And I woke up one day and thought, no more of that, thank you.”
WENN
