“I was longing to drive,” Helen Mirren has revealed to Jeff Conway at Forbes. “The reason I wanted to be in the Fast & Furious movies so I could drive cars really fast down closed-off streets. For the first two movies, I wasn’t anywhere near a car, so I paid my dues, so now I was allowed to get into the car.” In F9, new in theaters this weekend, Helen gets to do some enjoyable joy riding alongside the film franchise’s top-billed star Vin Diesel, whom Helen gives full credit to for her being a part of these projects. “I suspect really I’m in it because I begged to be in it and Vin is a very kindhearted person,” Helen continues. “I think that’s really the real reason. Sometimes, you have to ask for what you want or what you dream of having. One should have the courage to ask for it. A couple glasses of wine always help.” Even though Helen seems like a natural behind the wheel on-screen, in reality, she has nothing but praise for the skilled professionals behind-the-scenes that make her and the F9 car chase scenes look so good. “I would like to say here that I’m a firm believer there should be an Oscar category for stunt people because the stunt people on films like Fast & Furious and many, many of the other movies that we all enjoy so much in the cinema are down to extraordinary stunt organizers and actors and actresses who do such extraordinary things.” The complete interview can be read at Forbes.

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