No such thing as binary sexuality – Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren has said she does not believe there is such a thing as “binary sexuality”.

The 74-year-old said her views stem from her years in the acting world where the lines were blurred between what it meant to be a male or female.

She added that many of the great male “heart-throb” actors possessed strong feminine qualities, further explaining her take on whether binary sexuality – where gender is classified into two distinct and opposing forms, male and female – wholly exists.

Dame Helen said: “I came to the conclusion an awfully long time ago that there is black and there is white, and we’re all somewhere in the middle in a wonderful mix of male and female.

“There is no such thing as binary sexuality, when you’re male or female. I don’t believe that at all.”

She said she was “very lucky” to be in the world of acting and drama “because I think an awful lot of actors have male and female in them”.

Asked if she believes she has male qualities herself, Dame Helen said she does, adding: “I hate talking about my feelings, I never want to go to the doctor and I’m a brilliant mapreader.”