Dame Helen Mirren has said questions over the choice to have her play Israel’s first female prime minister, Golda Meir, are “utterly legitimate”. The casting for the upcoming biopic Golda, directed by Guy Nattiv, was criticised by fellow actor Dame Maureen Lipman last month because Mirren is not Jewish. Meir, who died in 1978, was Israel’s prime minister between 1969 and 1974. The new film is set during the Yom Kippur war in 1973 and started shooting in November 2021. Mirren told the Daily Mail, as reported by The Guardian the question of her appropriateness for the role had occurred to her too. “It was certainly a question that I had, before I accepted the role. [Meir] is a very important person in Israeli history,” she said. “I said, ‘Look, Guy, I’m not Jewish, and if you want to think about that, and decide to go in a different direction, no hard feelings. I will absolutely understand.’” Lipman previously said that the challenge of acting was to become the character you are playing regardless of background. But, speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain, she added that actors who shared the background of their character should be looked at first. On the portrayal of Meir specifically, she highlighted that “the Jewishness of the character is so integral”. Responding to Lipman’s criticism, Mirren said: “I do believe it is a discussion that has to be had – it’s utterly legitimate.” “I very much respect Maureen. And I love her as an actress, absolutely. “I’d love to bump into her and sit and have a cup of tea and talk about it,” she added. “Dame to dame, I suggest.” She added: “‘My only real fear is if I’m really bad as Golda … in which case, I’ll be toast.”

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