Acting legend Dame Helen Mirren, 80, has bashed “condescending” youngsters for the way that she is treated. In an outburst, she said that they should “f**k off” as she finds them to be actually quite “insulting” towards her.
The TV and film legend, who has a career that spans six decades, spoke about getting older as she turned 80 last month. She admitted: “The hardest part is the condescension. It really annoys me.” Speaking about when she is spotted in public with her other half, Taylor Hackford, also 80, Helen told The Times: “If my husband and I are holding hands, someone might say, ‘Oh, look. How sweet.’ It’s like, excuse my language, ‘F**k off.’ There’s something very condescending about some people’s attitudes and I think they think they are being kind and generous. But they’re not. They’re being insulting.”
Offering up advice to younger generations, Helen said: “Never be afraid of getting older. An amazing thing happens. When you’re 18 the thought of being 35 is horrific. And you get to 35 and it’s actually a lot better than being 18.
“And when you’re 35 the thought of being 55 … Then you hit 55 and you realise there are great things about being 55. Your life has moved on, you lose certain stuff but you gain other stuff.”
Despite most people retiring in their 60s, Helen is still working hard. She recently landed the role of Elizabeth – a sharp ex-spy with a knack for uncovering secrets – in The Thursday Murder Club, which follows a group of “geriatric sleuths” who solve murders from their retirement home.
The movie, based on the best selling novel by TV’s Richard Osman, also stars Pierce Brosnan, Sir Ben Kinsley and Celia Imrie.
Helen was a huge fan of the book, noting she was one of millions who read it and “couldn’t put it down”.
When she landed the role in the film, she said: “When you read that book, you think immediately this could be a movie and then, if it is, I wonder if they’ll ever approach me to play that role, because I’d love to play it. It was sort of a bit of a miracle for me when they did.”
The Thursday Murder Club is available to watch on Netflix from Thursday August 28.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.express.co.uk ’
