In a series of pictures posted by Vanity Fair, the pair unveil their new series set at the Dutton ranch a century ago. In times of overwhelming change, tradition can be vital for survival. Knowing how things were done before, understanding what still works, and discarding what doesn’t can be a crucial part of moving forward. This is what brings Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren’s longtime frontier couple to the Yellowstone Dutton Ranch in the upcoming series 1923. Tradition—and unstoppable change. Set a century before Kevin Costner’s John Dutton III holds together his family’s sprawling Montana empire in America’s most popular TV show, the contemporary Yellowstone series, this latest spin-off from creator Taylor Sheridan explores what life was like for the second and third generation of Duttons to work that land. They find themselves turning back to the first generation for guidance. A lot has changed in the 40 years since James and Margaret Dutton (played by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill in the predecessor series, 1883) brought their family to this territory. Exactly what became of them by the time of 1923 is a mystery the show will reveal, but suffice to say their children, now in their late 30s and 40s, and grandchildren, now in their 20s, have come to rely on a new matriarch and patriarch as they confront the rise of mechanization, the growth of local government, and competition for resources from other ranchers. Their father’s brother, Jacob Dutton (Ford), and his wife, Cara (Mirren), now lead the family. The complete article can be read over at Vanity Fair. Helen’s promotional images can be found in the photo gallery.

Helen Mirren is expressing her condolences after Queen Elizabeth II’s death at 96. On Thursday, Buckingham Palace announced that the Queen “died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.” As reported by People, in a message on Instagram, Mirren called the late monarch the “epitome of nobility. I am proud to be an Elizabethan. We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility,” wrote Mirren. At the “Helen Mirren and Hawk Koch Discuss the Magic of Movies” event back in 2019, the actress opened up about a “lesson in embarrassment” she was taught during tea with Queen Elizabeth. “She invited me for tea,” Mirren began. “I thought it was going to be in a room with 200 other people, which it often is. I’ve met her once before and it was in a room with 200 other people. So I said, ‘Oh, well, I can manage that.’ So it was at the horsey place and the message came to me that the Queen would like to invite you to tea, she knows you’re here.” “So I walk in, and there’s like eight people sitting around a table. Prince Philip, the Queen, a Sheik of somewhere or other and a couple of horsey people. I know absolutely nothing about horses, at all, and the Queen knows everything about horses,” continued Mirren, adding that she was “desperately trying to make polite conversation and it’s just coming out like gobbledygook.” She added of the meeting that “they were lovely, they were utterly gracious.” Mirren was appointed a dame by Queen Elizabeth back in 2003.

In a video posted on the Corriere del Mezzogiorno webiste yesterday, Helen Mirren asks for help to restore the last watchtower in the province of Lecce, which has been there for 700 years. The appeal for the renovation of the ancient Palane Tower, which overlooks the natural swimming pool of Marina Serra, in Tricase (Lecce), the only sighting tower in Salento that is still intact. As Helen says in the video, “this is Torre Palane, built seven centuries ago by the people who live in this beautiful land called Salento, in Puglia. Now we are in Marina Serra, and these towers were built along the entire coast to spot the invaders, mainly the Saracens, and to warn each other of the incoming Saracens, to plunder the territory. These towers have existed for centuries and are an important part of the history of Italy. Along this coast, most of it is falling into disrepair, but there is an exception: Torre Palane. It is so important to keep at least one tower in its original state along this beautiful coastline. The only way to do this is by renovating and restoring it. We need to restore Torre Palane. We are not asking you for money, we are asking you for a very simple thing: your signature on a petition asking the Italian institutions to finance the rescue of this tower. A thousand thanks”.

“Give A Doubt” comes after new research by Cadbury revealed that over 74% of the nation’s 18–30 year olds are facing daily concerns around their future, with 34% having no confidence that they will be able to meet their personal and professional goals. Following the success of ‘Donate Your Words’ which sought to raise awareness of loneliness amongst older people, “Give A Doubt” seeks to tackle the record number of young people in the U.K. who are struggling with self-doubt every day, by asking the nation to “Give A Doubt”, open up, be more vulnerable and share their personal experiences of doubt. Cadbury believes that there is generosity in everyone and ‘Give A Doubt’ taps into this spirit. From Oscar winner Dame Helen Mirren to BAFTA winner Big Zuu, and from five-time gold Paralympic medalist Ellie Simmonds, to national football icon Ian Wright, the celebrities stretch across a range of varying industries and across different age groups to share their most powerful doubts. The campaign video was originally released on May 16, 2022 and can be watched below.

“Now, more than ever, the world needs Documentary Now!,” says Helen Mirren in a 15-second teaser for the cinéaste spoof series’ 53rd season (which, in our extradiegetic reality, is really only season four). The season will kick off with the two-parter “Soldier of Illusion,” a Werner Herzog parody written by John Mulaney and starring Alexander Skarsgård as a German documentarian in the early 1980s trying to “will his magnum opus into existence while working in the remote, punishing conditions of the Russian Ular mountains.” The other newly announced title is “Trouver Frisson,” an homage to Agnès Varda films like The Gleaners and I and The Beaches of Agnès, starring Call My Agent!’s Liliane Rovère as “celebrated French filmmaker Ida Leos” as she “searches for why she no longer experiences ‘frisson.’” The other three episodes that have previously been announced for this season include “My Monkey Grifter,” a My Octopus Teacher riff starring Jamie Demetriou, whose comedic persona is already “this man could definitely be outwitted by a monkey”; “Two Hairdressers in Bagglyport,” a fusion of The September Issue and Three Salons at the Seaside starring Cate Blanchett in her grand Documentary Now! return; and “How They Threw Rocks,” a quirky sports doc chock-full of Welsh icons including Jonathan Pryce, John Rhys-Davies, and Tom Jones. Those last three were all written by Seth Meyers, who helms the series along with Fred Armisen, Bill Hader, and Rhys Thomas. Documentary Now! season 53 premieres on IFC and AMC+ on Wednesday, October 19, at 10 p.m.

Helen Mirren covers this week’s Sunday Life supplement of The Sydney Morning Herald. The interview, focusing on her fashion choices, can be read online in its entirity. These days, the word “influencer” gets bandied around a lot, a catch-all term for anyone trying to get noticed on social media. But if you want to see a real influencer, take one look at Helen Mirren, who at 77 has more fashion- and beauty-industry clout than most young Insta stars could ever dream of. Sitting across from me via a screen – Helen is in Cannes, I’m in London – wearing a slim-cut, round-neck green dress with her hair slicked back in a modern ponytail, she looks every inch an idol. The actor has the sort of presence and confidence that is alluring in anyone, whether 17 or 70.

I don’t have the easiest shape to deal with. I’m not tall or slim, I’m curvy and short, so only certain things look good and some very edgy things just don’t work. And that’s fine. There are people whose style I love but wouldn’t necessarily try to emulate because everyone’s different. I love Helena Bonham Carter’s fashion sense, and how Kristen Stewart dresses. Tilda Swinton and Cate Blanchett have great style, too. They’re all women who really push the boat out – and that’s something I admire. (Helen Mirren, The Sydney Morning Herald, August 07, 2022)

The first full trailer for Shazam! Fury of the Gods has just landed online, giving us a glimpse of Dame Helen Mirren in action as one of the film’s central villains. In the new DC Extended Universe film, coming to cinemas this December, Mirren plays Hespera, one of the daughters of Atlas along with Kalypso, played by Lucy Liu, who make up the film’s central villains. They’ll take on Zachary Levi’s returning hero Billy Batson/Shazam, who is seen in the trailer struggling to bring his ‘Shazamily’ of super-powered foster siblings together, while still indulging in the fun of being a boy in a superhero’s body. The trailer was released during Warner Bros Theatrical’s San Diego Comic-Con panel, which also saw an appearance from Johnson dressed as Black Adam to hype up the crowd. In a message recorded with Zegler for the panel, Mirren said she “absolutely loved playing Hespera” and that she’s “such a delightful baddie and a bad ass”. Shazam! Fury of the Gods will be released in cinemas on 21st December 2022.

Peter Brook, the esteemed British director who inspired each new generation of theatre creatives to be more daring and experimental, has died at the age of 97. Brook was influential in Helen Mirren’s early career when she joined his newly-formed Conference of the Birds. In December 1972, Brook, Mirren and an international troupe of actors left their Paris base to emerge again in the Sahara desert (as pictured above during their morning meditation). It was the start of an 8,500-mile expedition through Africa without precedent in the history of theater. Brook was in search of a new beginning that has since been revealed in all his work – from Conference of the Birds and Carmen to The Mahabharata and beyond. After years of performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Mirren has often stated how the year with Brook has been a guiding light of finding her power as a performer. Peter Brook was 97.

During the tour with the Conference of the Birds, the company were in the Sahara when Helen noticed a rock with a “strange, dark hole”. Instinctively she stuck her finger into the hole, only for Peter Brook to snatch her finger away. “Don’t do it,” he told her. “You don’t know what might be in there.” For Helen, that summed up her personality. “I go rushing into situations where it would be much more sensible to stay cool and reserved,” she told me, explaining her love of the unexpected. (The Daily Mail, Philip Dodd, March 03, 2007)

Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson headline the upcoming coming-of-age film White Bird: A Wonder Story – and People has an exclusive first look at the moving trailer. The drama is based on the best-selling book of the same name by Wonder author R. J. Palacio, which was adapted into a 2017 film starring Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson, and sparked a movement to “choose kind.” White Bird, the inspirational next chapter, follows Julian (Bryce Gheisar), who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie Pullman. To help transform Julian’s life, the boy’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) tells him of her own story of courage – as a child in Nazi-occupied France, a boy sheltered her from danger. White Bird: A Wonder Story, with a screenplay by Mark Bomback, opens in theaters October 14. A first set of production stills have been added to the photo gallery.

According to this Sky press release, The South Bank Show, one of the UK’s most loved and longest standing arts and culture programmes, returns on Wednesday 20th July on Sky Arts, Freeview channel 11, and NOW with three brand new episodes. Edited and presented by Melvyn Bragg, the new three-part series of The South Bank Show showcases talent from the worlds of acting, comedy, and dance with films about Helen Mirren, Frank Skinner and Carlos Acosta. Helen Mirren is one of the best-known and most respected actresses in the world, with a career that spans over 30 years. In the first episode of the series, she joins Melvyn to discuss her diverse and prolific career across theatre, film, and television, exploring a range of work including her early days at the Royal Shakespeare Company to her extraordinary Oscar winning performance in The Queen. Longer-form 90-minute episodes of The South Bank Show will also air in late-August, giving audiences the opportunity to learn more about the incredible careers of Helen, Frank and Carlos through extended interviews with host Melvyn Bragg.