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.

As per Deadline, there is nothing like this Dame, as in Helen Mirren, of course. She is the Oscar/Emmy/Tony-and everything else-winning acting icon who never seems to slow down. Now, with the Yellowstone prequel, 1923, she has also done her first western, and signed up for a second season as well. She visits my Deadline video series, The Actor’s Side, this week, and talks about it and working with Harrison Ford as they not only conquer the West, but also the small screen. But Dame Helen also talks about working wherever the roles take her, and in addition to 1923, her upcoming work includes summer releases The White Bird, Golda, Fast X, Barbie (she’s the narrator), and most recently, her first superhero movie, with DC’s Shazam: Fury Of The Gods. As for playing the role of Israeli legend Golda Meir (which looked fantastic in the footage shown at CinemaCon last week), she received some blowback on the internet when the casting was announced, with some complaining that she wasn’t Jewish. She has interesting things to say about that, as well as her final meeting with Queen Elizabeth just a month before she died, and why the memory of that brings tears to her eyes. There is so much more, and wait until you see her reaction to the 23-page wikipedia list of her awards and nominations I present to her, as well as her statement that the one she still doesn’t have is a Grammy. That could be coming too, as I point to her recent music video with Kendrick Lamar on “Count Me Out.” This four-time Oscar, 12-time Emmy, and 3-time Tony nominee is always changing it up and doing surprising things.

Some fantastic pictures and behind-the-scene video has been released for Harrison Ford and Helen Mirren’s upcoming Emmy Magazine cover story (on newsstands May 04, 2023). In the video, they got cheecky on what they are most grateful for in the modern world. “What have we got now that we didn’t have in 1923?” Mirren pondered while sitting next to her co-star. “Oh you know what I’m very appreciative of? Spanx,” she said as Ford laughed heartily. “And I appreciate your loaning them to me on the occasional basis,” he teased. Pictures and screencaptures have been added to the photo gallery.

Earlier today, Helen Mirren made a surprise visit on “The Drew Barrymore Show” to promote “Shazam! Fury of the Gods”, which is still in theatrical release, as well as the already released “1923”, for which she is currently on a FYC promotional tour in hindsight of 2023’s upcoming awards season. Clips and screencaptures have been added to the archives. An interview with Entertainment Weekly’s The Awardist has been added to the video archive as well.

On Tuesday, the cast of the Paramount+ “Yellowstone” prequel series (Helen Mirren, Brandon Sklenar and Aminah Nieves) were joined by members of the show’s crafts team (including editor Chad Galster, production designer Cary White and assistant costume designer Samantha Pavlat) for a discussion with TheWrap. They gathered for the event (which is part of our 2023 Awards Season Screening Series) and shared stories about the making of the first season, working with creator Taylor Sheridan and the complexities of a historical drama that stretches across three storylines. They also contemplated what could be in store for the show’s second season, which is currently in the works. As it turns out, they couldn’t speculate much because nobody has seen a script and Sheridan isn’t letting anything slip. But they’re all very excited to return. Sklenar joked that he is ready to (finally) be back on the ranch and share some scenes with Ford.

Lionsgate has released a new trailer for “White Bird” (formerly distributed as “White Bird – A Wonder Story”), based on the graphic novel of the same name. Directed by Marc Forster, with a screenplay by Mark Bomback, the film follows a boy named Julian who meets his French grandmother, played by Helen Mirren, who tells him the harrowing story of her upbringing as a young jewish girl in a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II – and how the boy she and her classmates once shunned became her saviour and best friend. The film also stars Gillian Anderson, Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser, and Orlando Schwerdt. “White Bird” will be released in theatres on August 25th, 2023.

“Shazam! Fury of the Gods” releases in theaters worldwide, today, so two weeks of extensive promotion come to an end. Fifteen new video clips have been added to the archive, including press junket compilations from Beverly Hills, London and Los Angeles, various entertainment shows interviews as well as Helen’s appearances on “Good Morning America” and “The Kelly Clarkson Show” from this day. Screencaptures from all videos have been added to the photo gallery. For a complete list of videos, have a look at the updates below. Enjoy watching and make sure to see “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” on the big screen.

Lots of new video clips from the ongoing promotional tour for “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” have been added to the archive, including British talkshow appearances on “The One Show” and “Lorraine”, various press junkets and on-set interviews as well as a surprise appearance on “The Masked Singer” alongside co-star Zachary Levi. A complete list of all new videos can be found below.

Lots of updates today from a truly comprehensive week for Helen Mirren, which started on Sunday with an appearance at the BAFTA Awards. Additional pictures, news reports and video clips from Tuesday’s Berlin Film Festival have been added, including a first scene from “Golda”. On Wednesday, Helen was back in London as a guest on “The Graham Norton Show”, which will be broadcast tonight. And yesterday, Helen recited an English version of a Ukrainian poem “Take Only What Is Most Important” by Serhiy Zhadan at a vigil held at Trafalgar Square to mark the anniversary of the war.

Additionally, screencaptures from various German television reports on the Berlin Film Festival have been added. All updates are listed below. Enjoy the new additions and have a great weekend.