Mirren, Mirren
Helen Mirren talks her cut ‘Barbie’ scene and the best acting advice she’s received
Though Helen Mirren’s voice is unmistakable in “Barbie,” she also shot a scene as herself for the blockbuster. “It was a very funny scene with Olivia Colman sort of playing drunk and us clashing about who is the real grande dame of British actresses,” Mirren reveals with a laugh. “She comes in and tries to take over the role of the Narrator and I had to fight her off.”
Mirren points out that the scene is clearly parody, praising British actors as wonderfully supportive. But it’s the kind of joke that only works for that reason — and because Mirren occupies such high esteem that no one can argue when she’s presented as the one to usurp. It’s why, when director Greta Gerwig sent her the script for the movie, the role was not written as “Narrator,” but rather as “Helen Mirren” — there was no one else she had in mind to play the all-knowing, trusted voice of God that rules this cinematic world. The variety of Mirren’s career is summed up nicely by just her roles in the last year: in addition to Barbie, she starred as the Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in “Golda” and the matriarch of a ranching family in the “Yellowstone” prequel “1923.” She also brought gravitas to two big-budget studio sequels, “Fast X” and “Shazam! Fury of the Gods.”
Though Mirren is, obviously, British, she still maintains honorary status as America’s Sweetheart — a respected actor who is also beloved for her ability to make fun of the regal image she presents on screen. This makes her the perfect honoree for the American Cinematheque Award, which will be presented in a ceremony on Feb. 15, postponed from its original November date. The Power of Cinema Award Presented by Hill Valley will also be bestowed upon Kevin Goetz & Screen Engine at the ceremony.
Mirren notes that she’s not quite sure what to expect from the ceremony. “I know it takes place at a dinner so there’s alcohol around, which is both a blessing and a curse,” she says. “So I’ll have to hold off until I’ve given my speech and then spend the rest of the evening rushing around and finishing everyone’s glasses left on the table.”
It’s a meaningful honor for the actor, who says she’s long been an admirer of the American style of acting. “I would look at movies and go, ‘It’s so real and believable and natural, how do they do that?’”
She recalls the first film she made in America, the 1984 sci-fi sequel “2010: The Year We Made Contact,” in which she was surrounded by American actors like Roy Scheider and John Lithgow. “I was just absolutely gobsmacked by their work.”
She credits co-star Bob Balaban with giving her advice that she’s never forgotten. “I asked him, ‘How do you do it?’ And he said, ‘Never revisit what you did in the day at night. Never go, ‘I should have done it like this,’” she recalls. “And he said, ‘Think of it as you are an archer, and you aim your moment at the target you want to reach and let it go. Allow it to land where it lands. Maybe it will hit the target, maybe it will hit a completely different spot you weren’t even aware of. You cannot bring the arrow back. You cannot control where the arrow lands. Just let it go.’ It’s a wonderful piece of advice I’ve always tried to adhere to.”
TIPSHEET
American Cinematheque WHAT: Awards
Feb. 15 WHEN:
The Beverly Hilton, WHERE: Beverly Hills americancinematheque. WEB: com/award-show-helen-mirren