Hellen Mirren, the Queen and I

Language Level: Intermediate

Source: Speak Up

Standard: British Accent

The Queen and I

This year Dame Helen Mirren deservedly won the Academy Award – or “Oscar – for “Best Actress.” This was for the title role in Stephen Frears’ movies, The Queen, which chronicles the events following the death of Princess Diana in 1997. The film does not analyse Diana’s death in itself, but studies the Royal Family’s reaction to it. It shows how – under pressure from new prime minister, Tony Blair – the Queen and the other “Royals” are forced to abandon their traditional British reserve and show emotion in public. When Helen Mirren met with the press she was asked about the films’ success in Britain:

SHIZOPHRENIA

Helen Mirren

Standard: British Accent

It’s wonderful, it’s absolutely great. I mean, one knew that this was a hot potato and one knew that it would be looked at with the greatest of scrutiny in Great Britain because the British people have such a… a schizophrenic relationship with their Royal Family, of utter sort of love and respect, bordering on obsession, and then sort of hatred and resentment, so it’s a very, very schizophrenic relationship, so one knew that it would be scrutinized and it was dangerous because, if the tone was wrong, if it was a cheap shot, it would have been enjoyed as a cheap shot, ‘cause the British love, more than anything, to take cheap shots at  the Royal Family, but, I think, to see it embraced the way it has been is very, very gratifying. It was an honest piece of work, I think we all tried very hard to be truthful and honest, and  as much integrity as possible, without being sycophantic, and without being unfairly attacking, to try and find the middle road, in a world that, really, we know nothing about. We’re all taking a guess, it’s an educated guess, but it is a guess.

THOSE HATS!

Helen Mirren’s physical resemblance to the Queen is striking, as is the film’s portrayal of her dress sense:

Helen Mirren:

The wardrobe was very important here, but I think, more than the wardrobe, it was to let go of any sense of vanity because the Queen, who was one of the most beautiful young women, you know, absolutely beautiful – a young Elisabeth Taylor, I mean, gorgeous, I don’t think ever had any personal vanity, and she’s never dyed her hair, she’s never changed her hairdo, she likes that are comfortable, appropriate. If she’s got to wear a hat, you know, a dress, and she’s got to be seen, she’ll wear a bright turquoise hat and dress, to be seen not whether if flatters her on not, she doesn’t care about that. For a woman – and I think she’s a very womanly woman –she absolutely doesn’t care about clothes at all, and it’s really interesting, or… and is completely “unvain,” and for someone who’s photographed all the time and filmed all the time, to have someone who so doesn’t care about the image, but in a way, I think that puts her into this other world, the world of the monarchy, where you’re not a fashion model, you’re not a celebrity. One tries to explain to explain to people how a monarch is not a celebrity: you’re way beyond the concept of celebrity.

“I’M TERRIBLY LAZY”

In conclusion, Mirren, who will turn 62 this year, was asked about the work and commitment that had gone into preparing for the part:

Helen Mirren:

I don’t think I am very committed, I have to say! I’m terribly lazy. I’m not very good at research and I’m not very committed, actually, but what I am is old! And sort of experienced and one of the advantages of having worked in a lot of different movies and theatre and everything is…is that you start to learn how not to work too hard, in a way, and I’m so glad I did, but I really underplayed the Queen, I really underplayed it, when I look at it, it’s very, very underplayed. I just let it happen, and I think that’s what gives it its authenticity, it’s what…makes it real, if I was working it…I mean, I got…I worked it in the sense I tried to get all the elements right, the walk right, the talk right, the physically right, I had to get all of those accurate and right, but then I just underplayed it and I think, you know, in a way, there’s…there’s value in that.