Helen Mirren Thinks Queen Elizabeth Has Watched Her 2006 Film The Queen
Dame Helen Mirren starred as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, a role for which she won her only Academy Award. The 2006 film depicts the death of Princess Diana in 1997, and the drama around her funeral between Prime Minister Tony Blair and the Royal Family. Reportedly, after the release of the film, Queen Elizabeth invited Mirren for dinner—which she was unable to attend due to her filming schedule.
Yet in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mirren says that she thinks the Queen has watched the film.
"At the time, it had never been done before, playing the queen. It was quite nerve-racking because I didn’t know—no one knew—how the public would receive it, let alone the establishment in Britain," Mirren, 76, recalls.
"But I got the sense that it had been seen and that it had been appreciated. I’ve never heard directly, and I never will," Mirren says. The actress goes on to compliment the others who have played the Queen since 2006, including Claire Foy and Olivia Colman on The Crown, who she says have been "absolutely fantastic."
In 2019, Mirren shared that the Queen's grandsons—Prince William and Prince Harry—had seen the film, and are "cool" and "funny" about it.
"The younger [ones], Harry and William, have mentioned it and they’ve been very funny about it, very cool about it," Mirren told Good Morning Britain. "I think Harry once said, when I was at a awards ceremony, he said, 'And Granny is here,' and I felt insulted by that."
When she accepted the Oscar for Best Actress in 2006, she complemented the Queen, saying, "for fifty years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty, and her hairstyle."
She continued, "She's had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she's weathered many, many storms. And I salute her courage and her consistency. And I thank her: If it wasn't for her, I most certainly wouldn't be here. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Queen," Mirren said, holding her Oscar up.
Queen Elizabeth and Mirren have met numerous times over the years.
Speaking of her role in 2022, Mirren said, "My parents were republicans, they didn’t believe in monarchy. I’ve found myself, when I started researching the role, very admiring of the queen. I honestly never really thought about her before. To me, she was like Big Ben. She’d just always been there."
"The queen came to the throne when I was 7, I think," Mirren continued. "She’s been there for my whole life. I didn’t really take any note of her until I started having to research her as a person, as a human being. Then I found myself finding a huge admiration for her, and respect."
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