Acting grande dame Helen Mirren is one of our favourite actresses – she oozes grace and elegance, and she’s one of the best in her game.
This month, she stars opposite several other Hollywood heavyweights in the new romance drama Collateral Beauty.
One of the reasons I took the role in Collateral Beauty was because it meant shooting in New York when my husband was making a film there. We’re usually working thousands of miles apart. For the first time in our married lives we were able to come home in the evening like a normal couple and say, “How was your day?” to each other.
The other thing that attracted me to the film was Will Smith. He is extraordinarily kind and nice and energetic. I’ve been so lucky with the men I’ve worked with in my recent films.
Great good can come from even the greatest heartbreak, that’s the central theme of Collateral Beauty. I loved the concept that beauty can be found in challenging and painful circumstances.
My character represents Death, but as I’ve got older death has actually been something I’ve thought about less. When you’re younger, you lose friends in accidents or to illnesses so it’s a shock. Over the years, it just becomes something that’s always present in your life. I’m lucky that I’ve never had a brush with death, but I don’t think I’m afraid of it.
The times you feel most alive often come out of nowhere. But nature will usually do it for me. Right now, where I am [in Florida on the set of a film] it’s raining and the sun is out. There must be an amazing rainbow somewhere. Seeing a rainbow makes me feel alive.
Watch the trailer for Collateral Beauty here:
The film is currently in cinemas from 27 January.
