Few actresses have had a career quite as impressive and respectable as Helen Mirren. The elderly actress has been honing her craft for over half of a century, which has lead her to a great deal of both acclaim and respect. Despite being one of the most prestigious actresses out there, Helen has never been one to shy away from doing things that others may consider improper.
In fact, the actress is popular in her early days for her willingness to bare it all in front of the camera. This free-spiritedness has stayed with the actress into her old age, and is arguably responsible for keeping the 74-year-old in such great health! In order to understand how Helen Mirren got to where she is today, we have to first understand where she started from. Join Facts Verse as we take a look at Helen Mirren then and now.
A Wealthy And Aristocratic Russian
Helen Mirren was born in 1945, on July 26th. She was born in England, though her father came from a wealthy and aristocratic Russian family. Helen always had an interest in theater, especially the works of Shakespeare. She first saw a production of Hamlet when she was only 13 years of age, and that production stayed with her. According to Helen, that early exposure to Hamlet’s play is what first inspired her to take up acting as a hobby. She started acting in theater plays, and eventually was able to secure a position with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Despite the prestige that came along with being a Shakespearean actor, Helen had different ideas when it came to her film work. Although one might consider acting in Shakespeare plays to be a fairly highbrow gig, her film work was often a bit more lowbrow. However, Helen was always perfectly fine with this. This is one of the things that set Helen apart from her peers at an early age. In 1969, she famously appeared fully nude in the film Age Of Consent, something that many other actresses were too nervous to do.
10 years later, she acted alongside Malcolm McDowell in the Penthouse production Caligula. This film, which has become notorious for it’s risque material, was the perfect project for Helen to express her free-spiritedness. However, despite her willingness to appear nude on-screen, it was always Helen’s acting ability that impressed audiences the most. She appeared in many other films during that timespan, including The Long Good Friday and Excalibur.
She Really Attracts Men Unintentionally
Mirren has always been very open about her sexuality and why she was never afraid to appear naked. According to her, she always knew that sex sold well. She felt the easiest path towards success in Hollywood was going to be to use her natural good looks to win over the audience. Thankfully, she didn’t have many reservations about appearing vulnerable on screen.
However, she has expressed that this openness about her sexuality came with a dark side. Men have always been very attracted to her. She has expressed that men may have been a little too forward with her in her earlier days. According to her, she was taken advantage of by many men during her prime. However, due to societal stigmas, she didn’t have any resources to seek out justice. Perhaps this is part of why Helen Mirren has tried so hard to use her power to help spread sex positivity and openness.
Despite being very open about sexuality during the early days of her career, Helen says that she isn’t truly sexually liberated until she was older. Although she had no qualms about appearing nude on film, she says the her sex life was not so exciting in those early days. She says this was due in large part to her not feeling comfortable in her own skin. As she got older, the star came into her own and began to experience more sensual pleasures.
Young And Beautiful
According to Helen, when women are “young and beautiful”, they are “paranoid and miserable”. When they get older, they allow more freedom to enjoy sex and sensuality for themselves. Thankfully, Helen Mirren is still beautiful inside and out. If you’re enjoying this video so far, hit the like button to show your support! As well, subscribe to Facts Verse to be among the first to know when more videos are on the way!
Even though she gets negative experiences regarding her free sexuality, Helen Mirren has never let anyone take her spirit away. From appearing fully nude in the 1969 film Age of Consent to appearing as an elderly nude model in 2004’s Calendar Girls, Helen has always aimed to be a progressive sexual role model for the younger generation. It is perhaps this youthful view of her own sexuality that has allowed Helen to retain both her charm and good looks well into her old age.
Teaching Mrs. Tingle
On top of her candidness when it comes to matters of sexuality, Helen Mirren is popular to be incredibly candid about other matters involving her career. In 1999, she stars in a film, Teaching Mrs. Tingle that isn’t a huge hit with critics. When asked why she took the role in the film, Helen was keen to answer that it was because “[the producers] gave [her] a [very large amount] of money” for it.
However, despite her willingness to bare all in the early days of career, Helen has refrained from appearing naked in recent years. Still, she isn’t afraid to promote her sexuality in different ways. Recently, she made headlines when a picture of her in a red bikini circulated. This picture showed that, despite all the years that have passed since her appearance in films such as Age of Consent and Caligula, the aging actress still has an incredible body. However, she prefers to keep that body out of the public eye, saying it’s “purely for [her] husband”.
Given her generally revolutionary spirit, it may surprise many to learn that Helen Mirren is, in fact, married. She has always been so free-spirited that it may come as a shock that the actress ever found it in herself to settle down with one person. After a fling with Liam Neeson, Helen met her future husband Taylor Hackford during the late 80s. The two involved, and decide to get married in 1997. At the time of their marriage, both Taylor and Helen were in their early 50s.
Queen Of England
Despite her free-spiritedness, Helen will likely always be ironically best known for playing the Queen of England in numerous films. She has played both Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Elizabeth II. In 2006, her portrayal as Queen Elizabeth II in the film The Queen won the actress a great deal of acclaim, although she was already highly respected. Even the Queen of England herself watched the film and praised Helen’s performance. Thankfully, Helen refrained from showing off much skin during her performance, perfectly fitting into the modest role. This shows one of the biggest strengths that Helen Mirren has been able to hold on to over her long career. She can be both cares and classy at the same time.
Helen Mirren is still acting in films today, and looking incredibly good while doing it! At the age of 74, the years have been incredibly kind to the respected actress. It appears her best years are still ahead of her! She recently appeared in multiple entries of The Fast and the Furious franchise. This included a cameo appearance in the 2017 entry The Fate of the Furious, as well as a more pronounced role in the 2019 spin-off Hobbs & Shaw. One can imagine that Helen takes these roles after receiving an offer of a generous amount of money from the franchise’s producers.
Upper Echelon Of The Hollywood
Whereas other dignified and respected actresses would likely balk at the opportunity to appear in such low-class films, Helen has always been different. Then and now, Helen Mirren has managed to stay in the upper echelon of the Hollywood elite her way. She’s got the talent to out-act most other Shakespearean actors, yet she isn’t afraid to look like a fool by appearing in lowbrow material.
This has always been what set Helen apart from her peers, and it continues to set her apart now. The young filmgoers who are just now learning about Helen Mirren from her performances in The Fast and the Furious franchise likely have no idea that she appeared fully nude over 50 years ago in Age of Consent.
There are few Hollywood stars who are as candid and frank as Helen Mirren. As well, there are few Hollywood stars who share her incredible talent! Comment down below to share your favorite moment from Helen Mirren’s long career, or if you think she still looks as beautiful as ever! As always, like the video to show your support, and subscribe and hit the notification bell to be among the first to know when more videos are on their way!
