Helen goes for crowning glory
Another royal role for Mirren
DAME Helen Mirren is to add to her repertoire of royals by playing another ruler – Catherine the Great of Russia.
The actress will bring the 18th century empress to the screen in a Sky and HBO series after pitching the idea herself.
Mirren, 72, won awards for her portrayals of Elizabeth I in the 2005 mini-series and Elizabeth II in the 2006 movie The Queen.
Now, inspired by her Russian heritage, she will play the strong-minded and sexually liberated Catherine who ruled from 1762 to 1796 after ousting weak husband Peter III. The Oscar-winning star, whose Russian father Basil changed the family surname from Mironoff after Helen was born, said she always wanted to play the iconic figure.
She added: “I am very excited by the possibility of embodying a woman from history who grabbed and then wielded great power. “She rewrote the rules of governance by a woman and succeeded to the extent of having the word Great attached to her name.” Dame Helen says her upbringing was “very anti-monarchist”. But she does have a family connection with royalty. Her grandfather was butcher to Queen Victoria. The four-part drama, being filmed later this year, will follow Catherine towards the end of her reign. But the series, from the team at New Pictures who made Emmy-winning Elizabeth I, will not be exploring the discredited myth that the empress died having sex with a horse.