What did Helen Mirren say about the James Bond movies? Actress weighs in on the franchise’s portrayal of women
Actress Helen Mirren shared her opinion on James Bond movies and the female characters portrayed in them. While promoting her new crime-drama series with Pierce Brosnan and Tom Hardy, MobLand which was released on March 30, the Oscar-winning actress sat down for an interview with The London Standard on March 28.
For the unversed, Mirren's co-star, Pierce Brosnan, played the role of James Bond from 1995 to 2002. In the interview, Helen Mirren was asked about the creative control handover of the franchise from producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson to Amazon MGM Studios and her opinion on the matter.
Helen Mirren stated she never liked the James Bond franchise. She also didn't like the female characters in the Bond movies, calling their portrayal drenched in "profound sexism."
"The whole series of James Bond, it was not my thing. It really wasn’t. I never liked James Bond. I never liked the way women were in James Bond. The whole concept of James Bond is drenched and born out of profound sexism,"she said.
Helen Mirren then said that real-life female spies had worked incredibly in the Secret Service, and she would instead represent them in spy movies.
"Women have always been a major and incredibly important part of the Secret Service, they always have been. And very brave. If you hear about what women did in the French Resistance, they’re amazingly, unbelievably courageous. So I would tell real stories about extraordinary women who've worked in that world," she said.
Helen Mirren discusses her famous 1975 interview with Sir Michael Parkinson and working in the British film industry
The 79-year-old actress told The London Standard that her famous 1975 interview with Sir Michael Parkinson was her appearance at a TV show. In the interview, Parkinson asked if her figure prevented her from being taken seriously in the film industry. Helen Mirren, who was then 29 years old, called him out by asking him if serious actresses can't have a heavy chest.
Mirren told the media outlet that only she received backlash after the 1975 interview was released. She stated that at the time, she wanted to become a "classical actress" and not a movie or TV star.
"Well, half a century ago, the only person who got criticized for that interview was me. [It] bothered me very much at the time because my ambition was to be a classical actress. I didn't want to be a movie star. I didn't want to be a TV star. I wanted to be a classical actress, and I felt like I was carrying this thing on my back," she said.
Helen Mirren said that the sexist commentary stayed with her for years. However, she eventually came to terms with her struggles and developed a sense of humor.
"It was kind of attached to me. It didn't really mean anything, as far as I was concerned, but it was attached to me, and I couldn't escape it. But then I also realized you just have to live with the cards you have been dealt. I came to terms with it, and you’ve got to have a sense of humor about it," she said.
The actress then criticized the British film industry, saying that it was awful back then, with a few exceptions.
"When I was growing up and getting into my business, British film was really awful. There was the odd, very noble exception, but generally, it was pretty awful. And the best work was being done on television," she said.
Helen Mirren's crime drama series MobLand is available to stream on Paramount+.
