Helen Mirren Quotes

1. Actors are rogues and vagabonds. Or they ought to be.





2. Flesh sells. People don't want to see pictures of churches. They want to see naked bodies.

3. All you have to do is to look like crap on film and everyone thinks you're a brilliant actress. Actually, all you've done is look like crap.


4. It's great to be queen! 


5. The trick in life is learning how to deal with it.

6. Whenever I see the queen, I always think: "Oh, there I am!"

7. I'm a get-a-dress-at-the-thrift-shop-but-open-a-bottle-of-champagne kind of person.


8. The first time you taste something spectacular, it's never quite the same again.

9. Being the daughter of a cabbie, I really do appreciate a good back route.

10. Patience can be a good thing - but not necessarily. Sometimes it's not so bad to be impatient. I'm a little bit too polite.

11. The best compliment? Right after winning the Oscar, when everyone was going home, they let these little gold Oscary shapes flutter down from the ceiling. Leonardo DiCaprio came over, bowed down, and kissed my hand. It was the most fabulous moment - such a lovely gesture. He didn't say anything.



12. Being directed by your husband is difficult. But it's fabulous to go home and sleep with the director.

13. I drink just as much tea when I'm in Los Angeles as I do when I'm in London. I take my tea bags with me wherever I go. PG Tips.



14. We're all idiots when we're young. We don't think we are, but we are. So we should be.

15. Shakespeare was writing at a time of great censorship. You couldn't say certain things or you'd literally have your head chopped off. But within those parameters he found great freedom.






16. The whole thing of clothes is insane. You can spend a dollar on a jacket in a thrift store. And you can spend a thousand dollars on a jacket in a shop. And if you saw those two jackets walking down the street, you probably wouldn't know which was which.

17. I don't throw a lot of parties. I find throwing parties a bit intimidating. What makes a good one? Loads and loads of drink, I suppose. But that can be a disaster as well.


18. While you're doing it, it's utterly, utterly, obsessively absorbing. Nothing is more important to you at that time and you can't believe anyone could be interested in anything else. I used to come out of the theater and wonder: How can the world be going on? The only thing that matters is this play.

19. Chemistry is an absolute mystery. People who really don't like each other can have fantastic chemistry onscreen. And people who adore each other can have absolutely no chemistry onscreen. It's totally weird - lightning in a bottle.


20. There's no good way to waste your time. Wasting time is just wasting time.

21. Time accelerates, doesn't it?

22. The hardest period in life is one's twenties. It's a shame because you're your most gorgeous and you're physically in peak condition. But it's actually when you're most insecure and full of self-doubt. When you don't know what's going to happen, it's frightening.

23. It would be wrong to think that you're always right and correct and perfect and brilliant. Self-doubt is the thing that drives you to try to improve yourself.


24. The world of politics never spoke to me because it always seemed to be a world of compromise and pragmatism. That didn't fit in with my rather soppy idealism.

25. Very often I've done the unexpected just to shake things up a bit. That's been a good way to work.





26. I am quite spiritual. I believed in the fairies when I was a child. I still do sort of believe in the fairies. And the leprechauns. But I don't believe in God.

27. It's such a crapshoot, and very often the talented people get lost by the wayside and the people with less talent are successful, and you don't know why. It's all such a mysterious random thing, so it's very hard to give people advice.

28. You don't want to mislead people. They'll say: "Oh, it's my dream. I just have to believe in myself and it'll happen." It's just not true. Some people throw away their lives following a dream and a dream is all it was. On the other hand, you do have to believe in yourself for anything to happen.

29. I'm in London watching the wind blow through a tree, and it's a wonderful thing to see.

30. Some people are brilliant at dying. It's hard to stop breathing, and inevitably you get an itchy nose or something. The trick of dying onstage is to make sure you do it behind the sofa or in a dark corner.

31. (About the Academy Awards) It's the creme-de-la-creme of bulls**t.


32. (On becoming Dame Helen Mirren in 2003) In England, it's a big deal. I do feel it's a great honor. But I had to think about it quite seriously for a couple of weeks. It does sort of squash you into the establishment thing. In the end, my baser feelings got the better of me. I succumbed to pride.

33. Being me right now is sort of amazing.

34. (On not having children) No. Absolutely not. Absolutely not. I am so happy that I didn't have children. Well, you know because I've had freedom.





35. There's nothing sexy about doing a nude scene. It's rather uncomfortable. I like dressing up rather than dressing down.

36. (On Ian Richardson, BAFTA Film Awards, 2007) Many years ago, when I started off as an actress, I had the immense good fortune to work with an actor that was so generous at sharing his craft - He became a mentor to me, he helped me believe in myself. Ian Richardson, I'm not too sure I would be here today if it wasn't for you.

37. (Part of her BAFTA acceptance speech, BAFTA Film Awards, 2007) This is great. What an honor, especially to be nominated - just to be nominated - amongst those incredible powerhouse performances this year from women. - I applaud them. I think they were absolutely fantastic. Write more roles for us like that please.




38. (on her role in National Treasure: Book of Secrets (2007) playing Nicolas Cage's mother - People Magazine - 19 November 2007)I get half-drowned, jump across an abyss and fly. I loved every minute of it. Getting attached to wires and flying was the most glorious feeling. It's a lot easier than acting!

39. I haven't had children and now I can't look at anything to do with childbirth. It absolutely disgusts me.

40. My secondary school was a parochial school run by Bernardine nuns in forbidding black robes. On my first visit to the school, I had an interview with the headmistress. She was a very old lady called Dame Mother Mary Mildred. She had one eye that drooped and was somewhat frightening to the 10-year-old that I was. However, she was also very wise, and kind without being sentimental. She took one look at me and said, in such a way that I have never forgotten it: "Beware of fear." It took me many years to understand the power and importance of that observation. Fear sometimes stops you from doing stupid things. But it can also stop you from doing creative or exciting or experimental things. It can cloud your judgment of others, and lead to all kinds of evil. The control and understanding of our personal fears is one of the most important undertakings of our lives.

What do you think of Helen Mirren's quotes?


Feel free to comment and share this blog post if you find it interesting!