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.

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.

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.

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.