Helen Mirren famously won her first and so far only Oscar to date in 2007 for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in Stephen Frear's "The Queen". Despite an exceptional acting career which has spanned over 50 years, the 71-year-old role in the Film is one of her most famous and helped her to become one of only a handful of performers to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting. During an appearance on "The Graham Norton Show" she was described as "the nearest thing to royalty" and urged by Norton to give an "inspirational Christmas message" ahead of the holidays.
Helen Mirren delivers speech
Channelling her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II, "The Queen" actress perched up on the star-studded sofa and gazed straight ahead into the camera to tell the audience watching that Christmas was a "time of celebration and togetherness" and should be taken as an opportunity to "reflect on the year gone by." Mirren, who has also had great success on Broadway, then changed the tone of her speech, much to Graham Norton, the audience in attendance and the viewers watching at home's surprise. Mirren followed her heartwarming sentiments about reflection and unity by stating "I think we can all agree that 2016 has been a big pile of s**t.
So my advice to you is drink responsibly and be merry."
Helen Mirren gives cheeky plug to new film
Mirren, who was on "The Graham Norton Show" couch alongside the co-stars for her new film "Collateral Beauty", Will Smith and Naomie Harris, couldn't help but finish her Christmas message with a cheeky plug for their new movie. She wished everyone a "happy Christmas but above all go see Collateral Beauty out on boxing day," as she cheekily grinned.
The film follows a New York advertising executive as he struggles to cope with his grief. Mirren portrays 'Death' in the film, something she joked about being insulted by when she was offered the role. Mirren also said during the interview that working with Will Smith on the film was "difficult but wonderful" as when the public found out that he was filming somewhere, crowds of people would turn up to watch.
The full interview with Dame Helen Mirren and Will Smith will be broadcast on BBC One at 10:35 pm on Friday 23 December. you can watch the trailer for "Collateral Beauty" below.
