In an interview aired by Israel’s Channel 12 on Sunday, Mirren spoke about her leading role in “Golda” depicting Israel’s first and only female prime minister, Golda Meir, during the period of the fateful 1973 Yom Kippur War. The interview was recorded in July when Mirren was in Israel for the premiere of the movie at the Jerusalem Film Festival. “I believe in Israel, in the existence of Israel, and I believe Israel has to go forward into the future, for the rest of eternity,” Mirren said. “I believe in Israel because of the Holocaust.” She revealed there were those who had tried to talk her out of making the film due to Israel’s controversial position on the world stage, but, she said, “I’ve met such extraordinary people in Israel.” “I know there is a base, a foundation of deep, intelligence, thoughtfulness, commitment, poetry even in Israel that is very, very special, I think,” said Mirren. Mirren admitted that before making the film, “I didn’t know a lot about Golda” but said she clearly recalled “the feeling of triumph and satisfaction and of awe actually that a woman had been elected to lead a country. It was a very exciting moment for women in general. Understanding her physical suffering… as well as the mental suffering of dealing with this enormous burden of the war, that was a revelation for me.” The complete article accompanying the interview can be read here, while the full interview can be found in the video archive.

One of Helen Mirren’s most anticipated dramatic roles today arrives in theaters today – although, due to the dual strike in Hollywood, it will not likely for “Golda” to make a splash at the box office. Reviews have been mixed – universally praising Mirren’s performance and criticising the film’s pace and lack of depth of Meir’s character. In one recommended review on Roger Ebert, Christy Lemire writes that “[Meir] remains frustratingly out of reach, even in her suffering. But there’s a bitter irony in the fact that she sees her doctor in secret at the morgue, and each time she walks down the hallway toward her appointment, more and more bodies are stacked up along the walls. It’s a powerful image”. Vanity Fair has also published an in-depth article on transforming Helen Mirren behind the scenes, which is worth a read. There has also been a new clip released which you can find in the video archive.

My goal was to acknowledge the trailblazer who paved the way for Margaret Thatcher and Angela Merkel. In the 1970s, when men were misogynists – especially those commanders – a woman came and led the country. This is unheard of. I think it’s something to remember and to celebrate. (Guy Nattiv, director of “Golda”, Vanity Fair, August 25, 2023)

Among the many misfortunes of the current dual strike in Hollywood is the lack of promotion for films that would need a good boost by star power. “Golda” might be a prime example among the current releases, which will probably be overlooked by many, simply because they don’t know it exists. In an effort to reach a wider audience, its distributor Bleecker Street is working with Fathom Events, a unique and prolific theatrical distributor, that has mastered the art of finding audiences for one-off cinematic events, from live broadcasts of opera, stage plays and live concert pics to anniversary rereleases of classic Hollywood films. Fathom will present a Q&A with Mirren and director Guy Nattiv in theaters across the country Aug. 23, two days before the film’s official release. (It was taped before the SAG-AFTRA strike.) Fathom has also released a (very, very brief) making of featurette on the film, giving us a glimpse of the makeup process as well as an interview with Helen. Additionally, new production stills have been added to the photo gallery.

This August, we’re in for a treat. The French/German television channel Arte will be celebrating Helen Mirren with a weeklong retrospective, as well as a brand new documentary, directed by Nicolas Maupied, which will share insights on Helen’s varied career. Arte’s retrospective starts on Monday, August 14 with “The Long Good Friday” (also available on-demand). The following Monday, August 28, “Excalibur” and “Eye in the Sky” will be shown. And on Wednesday, August 30, “Hitchcock”s broadcast will be followed by the new documentary “A Sassy Royal Actress” (alternatively “Une Femme Puissante” in French or “Eine königliche Schauspielerin” in German). The documentary, which will be available on Arte’s streaming platform starting August 23, runs for a full hour and will feature lots of scenes from her films and from archive interviews. To my knowledge, no interaction or new interview has been conducted for this – but I’m looking forward to see if they dug up some old treasures.

Not only a theater icon, but also a television and a movie star, the English Helen Mirren and her brilliant career have been impressing the world since the 1960s. She is the only winner of the “Triple Crown of Acting”. She’s an uncategorizable, multi-talented actress, but also a powerful and very feminist woman. She is considered by many to be the greatest living actress. Often associated with the roles of powerful figures in films such as “The Queen”, she is a strong feminist activist. Indeed, for almost 60 years, through the characters she chose to play and her attitude behind the scenes, she’s an advocate for women’s emancipation, relentlessly fighting against sexism.

Bleecker Street has dropped the theatrical trailer (the same as the international one, sans the subtitles 🙂 ) for “Golda” – a “ticking-clock thriller set during the tense 19 days of the Yom Kippur War in 1973. Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir, faced with the potential of Israel’s complete destruction, must navigate overwhelming odds, a skeptical cabinet, and a complex relationship with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), with millions of lives in the balance. Her tough leadership and compassion would ultimately decide the fate of her nation and leave her with a controversial legacy around the world”. Meir served as Israel’s prime minister between 1969 and 1974. She stood as a powerful global figure but is said to have held onto the guilt of those lost in the Yom Kippur War until her last days. “Golda” is set to premiere on August 25.

As earlier reported, Helen Mirren is visiting Israel to attend the 40th Jerusalem Film Festival. “Golda” has been chosen as the fest’s opening film and Helen will also receive a Life Achievement Award while being there. You can read a comprehensive summary of the rather entertaining press conference at The Jerusalem Post – I’ll leave you with this bit: Asked about the coincidence of the fact that she is participating in another festival movie – she is the voice of the narrator in Barbie, which is having its sneak preview there – she said, “I think that we need a Golda Meir Barbie,” a remark which brought down the house and concluded the event. A couple of pictures from the press conference and the screening have been added to the photo gallery. In this excerpt of her acceptance speech, Mirren acknowleged the just announced actor’s strike in Hollywood.

Members of my tribe can be found in Germany, Belgium, the United States. Palestinians, Israelis, Africans. They are the tribe to whom I really want to dedicate this award and say thank you. I had the greatest time on “Golda” because immediately I felt that I belonged. Thank you to my wonderful tribe of actors, all over the world in every language there is. (Helen Mirren, Jerusalem Film Festival)

We have established that Italy loves Helen Mirren – apparently, they adore her husband, too. On Saturday, Taylor Hackford received a Life Achievement Award at the 50th Premi Internazionali Ennio Flaiano in Pescara, and Helen was on hand to support her hubby, famed for “An Officer and a Gentleman”, “White Nights”, “Dolores Claiborne”, “The Devil’s Advocate” and “Ray”. A couple of pictures from the ceremony have been added to the photo gallery. According to their website, the Flaiano International Awards, founded in 1973 by Edoardo Tiboni to honor Ennio Flaiano, consist of a series of events, exhibitions, conferences, shows in which concrete cultural motives converge – literary, theatrical, cinematic and television. Many thanks to Joan for the heads-up. Edit: Lots of additional photos and a couple of videos from the event have been added. Check the list below for updates.

Today, CNN Brazil has been the first news outlet to exclusively debut the international theatrical trailer for “Golda”, giving us more than just a glimpse of Helen Mirren’s stunning transformation into former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meier. The film, directed by Guy Nattiv and co-starring Camille Cottin and Liev Schreiber, will be released in US theaters on August 25, 2023. The trailer can be watched in the video archive. Screencaptures will be added once the trailer has been released without subtitles.

For their roundtable to discuss their roles for the upcoming Emmys season, The Los Angeles Times paired old RSC colleagues Patrick Stewart and Helen Mirren, alongside Bella Ramsey (The Last of Us), Jeremy Strong (Succession), Christina Ricci (Yellowjackets) and Diego Luna (Andor). Definately a must-read: So there they sat, Helen Mirren and Patrick Stewart, speaking across a table one late April day with four other actors talking about the old days. They reminisced about being in the same late-1960s British theater scene, laboring to become top-flight classical thespians. “We both were saying earlier how strange it is to find ourselves here in Los Angeles and being screen actors,” Mirren says. “Because both of our ambitions when we started was to be theater actors and, very specifically, to be classical theater actors. There was a snotty attitude – wasn’t there?” “Somewhat,” Stewart agrees. “Of British actors towards American film acting, which I personally never subscribed to, that it wasn’t real acting. Real acting was doing ‘Lear’ in front of 2,000 people without a microphone,” Mirren continues with a laugh. “I always loved American actors. British acting at the time was like looking at a beautifully constructed piece of furniture. Beautifully carved. You know, perfect reproduction of something. And American acting was like the same piece of furniture, a bit more funky, but real. My ambition was to meld the two together. This sense of control and technique, for want of a better word, with the beauty of the improvisational, instinctive, wonderful thing that is American acting.” The complete article can be read here.

Helen Mirren is having an Italian Summer for all of us – and a very busy, extended weekend. After attending Saturday’s ORA! Film Fest (see previous update and find new pictures in the gallery), Mirren was seen on Sunday’s Lecce-Bologna Match at the Via del Mare stadion. And today, she was a special guest at the Università del Salento, where a new promotional spot for the university with her participation was released. Pictures and videos have been added to the photo gallery.