Helen Mirren

Prince William appeared overwhelmed during the BAFTA Film Awards over a tribute that described Queen Elizabeth II as "mysterious" like "a silent film star."

Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? She played her so memorably." Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams wrote on Twitter: "A fine tribute to H.M. Her Majesty was front row for it all." "In 1953, her coronation broadcast had the world watching. I am amazed."

At the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs), held Sunday evening, actor Helen Mirren led the tribute to late Queen Elizabeth II as Prince William and Kate ...

Queen Elizabeth, Britain’s longest reigning monarch, passed away on September 8, 2022, at the age of 96. “In 2013, it was her turn to be honoured with a BAFTA in recognition of the Queen’s outstanding patronage of the film and television industry. [arts](https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/art-and-culture/muzaffar-ali-interview-jahan-e-khusrau-zikr-book-art-craft-films-8274246/). Mirren continued: “Who else would meet the world’s most famous singers, actors and performers and turn them into her supporting cast? From that time she was unquestionably the nation’s leading lady, but as mysterious as a silent film star,” she started out saying. The

Prince William and Kate Middleton watched on as Helen Mirren made a touching tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at the BAFTA Film Awards 2023.

Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, she mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. "BAFTA's relationship with Her Majesty was longstanding and BAFTA would not be what it is today without her loyal support," the Oscar-winner said. The Prince and Princess of Wales attended the iconic awards show at London's Royal Hall last night, marking their first joint public engagement since their trip to Cornwall earlier this month. Her passing was massive." - Prince William was visibly emotional at the BAFTA awards on Sunday night as Helen Mirren paid a touching tribute to Queen Elizabeth II during the iconic show. Prince William and Kate Middleton watched on as Helen Mirren made a touching tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at the BAFTA Film Awards 2023

Helen Mirren looked incredible at the BAFTAs 2023 as she took to the stage after missing the red carpet.

The Academy Award winner took to the stage and tearfully paid tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth’s 50-year-long association with BAFTA. [Academy Award](/latest/oscars) winner took to the stage and tearfully paid tribute to the late [Queen Elizabeth’s](/latest/queen) 50-year-long association with BAFTA. Helen Mirren took to the stage at the star-studded ceremony on Sunday night to pay tribute to the late Queen Elizabeth.

The royal couple had a front row seat as Helen Mirren honoured the Queen in a poignant speech at the BAFTAs. Earlier in the night, they shared a rare PDA.

Meanwhile, during the ceremony [Helen Mirren](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/helen-mirren-wrote-to-the-queen) gave a [poignant tribute to Queen Elizabeth II](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2023/02/19/watch-dame-helen-mirren-leads-tributes-late-queen-baftas-nations/). And William was appointed the title of BAFTA's president in 2010. [Alison Hammond](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/alison-hammond-loves-to-look-at-houses-she-cant-afford-on-rightmove) after her on-stage speech, Mirren revealed that she cried during the rehearsal. “Cinema at its best does what Her Majesty did effortlessly — bring us together and unite us through a story,” the actor said. [Princess of Wales](https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/will-kate-middleton-become-princess-of-wales-queen-consort-royal-succession) as they walked [the 2023 BAFTAs red carpet](https://www.bustle.com/style/baftas-2023-red-carpet-all-the-best-looks) on Sunday night (Feb. Fans were delighted to see the royal couple share a rare moment of PDA when [Kate gave William a “love tap”](https://www.vogue.com/article/kate-middleton-prince-william-baftas-2023-pda) on his behind as they made their way into the event.

Dame Helen Mirren honoured the late Queen Elizabeth II in a moving tribute at the BAFTA, referring to her as “Our nation's leading star”.

Helen paired the dress with statement earrings and styled her hair in a chic bun, adding a swipe of warm, pink-red lipstick. A slideshow of images played during her message, including footage of Queen Elizabeth II receiving her own honorary BAFTA at Windsor Castle in 2012. She also joined Alison Hammond on the BAFTA sofa.

Helen Mirren declined to address the backlash around her casting as Golda Meir in Guy Nattiv's biopic, drew parallel with British Monarch Elizabeth I.

Nattiv said he was prepared to prompt a debate in Israel after the movie comes out. Earlier this year, Mirren had compared the casting backlash she faced with “Golda” to casting gay characters. “The absolute total dedication of her life to that, and what she achieved without being the sort of mad dictator-type character at all. I think that Israeli and Jewish actors have no limitations and they have no problems to portray (characters) around the world (…) in the international shows,” the director argued. Is this really a path you want to go down?” Mirren told the Daily Mail. She totally got everything, every nook and cranny, everything in this character,” he continued.

British actress Helen Mirren plays the Israeli Prime Minister in the movie by Oscar-winning director Israeli Guy Nattiv and based on a screenplay by Nicholas ...

Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance. Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Helen became Golda on a spiritual and cellular level, and this moment was electrifying to watch.” Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do. Because we are free, we rely on advertising to cover our costs. [Variety](https://variety.com/2022/film/news/helen-mirren-golda-meir-1235173396/): “Helen will be great. My father would hide us in the cellar… I am not that little girl hiding in the cellar.” Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, played by American actor Liev Schreiber, over the fate of 30,000 trapped soldiers belonging to Egypt. Our film is a deep dive into this tragedy.” It is still today considered a huge trauma for Israelis.

'Golda' Director Guy Nattiv tackles debate over casting of Non-Jewish Helen Mirren as Golda Meir biopic at the Berlin Film Festival.

not because she had regality or anything but for her commitment to her country and to her nation.” And so for me as a Jewish Israeli director, I had no problem.” it’s a very tough and hard look at the war. Based on a screenplay by Nicholas Martin (Florence Foster Jenkins), the film focuses on Meir’s life as she leads the country during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Is this not allowed anymore?’ So it’s like limiting us in such a way and Israeli and Jewish actors have no limitations. When I met Helen in my house, I felt like I was meeting a family member, like an aunt.

Oscar-winning actress Helen Mirren on transforming into Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir for Guy Nattiv's drama Golda, set during the Yom Kippur War.

Fox](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/michael-j-fox-2/) [‘Back to the Future’ Stars Michael J. “In the sense that she is in the trenches, she is in one location and cannot leave, she’s very alone in the mayhem of the war,” he said. “This is a very tough and hard look at the war and every solider that dies. [Heat Vision](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/e/heat-vision/) [‘We Have a Ghost’ Filmmaker Christopher Landon Talks His Ambiln-esque Pivot, ‘Happy Death Day 3’ and ‘Freaky Death Day’](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/we-have-a-ghost-christopher-landon-netflix-movie-1235330417/) [Michael J. 20 at the [Berlin International Film Festival](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/t/berlin-international-film-festival/). “It was a bit like playing Elizabeth the first of England, in the sense [of] her commitment to her country and to her nation. “What Golda did during those fateful two weeks [was] the story that really captures who Golda was, her toughness and indefatigability.” A surprise twin attack from the Arab powers of Syria and Egypt, on the morning of Jewish holiday Yom Kippur, saw major losses on Israel’s side and nearly led to the country’s complete military defeat. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to secure vital military supplies and commanding a group of skeptical (and often incompetent) generals to secure a surprise victory that changed the face of the Middle East. In the new drama, which world premieres at the Berlin Film Festival on Monday, Feb. But her earlier namesake, Queen Elizabeth I, which she played in a mini-series of the same name for HBO in 2005. “[Golda] was extraordinary brave and her commitment to Isreal was total,” said Mirren.

Mirren's casting as Israeli prime minister Golda Meir ignited debate over non-Jewish people playing Jewish roles.

“There was no doubt for me – that’s why I was surprised to see the reaction. “From my point of view as a director, when I met Helen in my house, I felt like I was meeting a family member, like an aunt. I felt that I was meeting a Jewish person.

BERLIN — The director of “Golda” dismisses a controversy over casting Helen Mirren as Israel's only woman prime minister Golda Meir, saying the British ...

If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. Sign in to stop seeing this](//crm.timesofisrael.com/sign-in) Other than the fact that I adore Helen, I think she’s one of the best actresses in the world.”

For Helen Mirren, playing Israel's only female prime minister, Golda Meir, was not unlike a role as a British monarch.

Dame Helen Mirren, 77, showed off her sleek blonde locks at the Golda premiere and during Berlin International Film Festival in Germany on Monday.

Her words: She added: 'It is a great challenge to portray her at the most difficult moment of her extraordinary life. Dame Helen previously said of the role: 'Golda Meir was a formidable, intransigent and powerful leader. 'In 1953, her coronation broadcast had the world watching. Her Majesty was front row for it all.' Director Guy said: 'I have long been an admirer of the great Helen Mirren. 'Your Majesty, you are our nation's leading star. Glamorous: Dame Helen accessorised with a pair of pearl drop earrings and applied a flawless palette of makeup including a swipe of pink lipstick to match her outfit Dame Helen accessorised with a pair of pearl drop earrings and applied a flawless palette of makeup including a swipe of pink lipstick to match her outfit. The film star donned a pair of crisp white chunky trainers and styled her long tresses pulled back in a neat ponytail from a center parting. Dame Helen teamed the look with a pair of black straight legged trousers which donned a pink stripe down the leg matching her sweater. She wore a pair of black high-heeled shoes to add a few inches to her stature and opted for a glamorous look with her make-up, including a bold red lip. [Helen Mirren](/tvshowbiz/helen-mirren/index.html) showed off her sleek blonde locks as she attended the Golda premiere and European Shooting Stars 2023 ceremony at the 73rd [Berlin](/news/berlin/index.html) International Film Festival in [Germany](/news/germany/index.html) on Monday.

Nattiv, however, takes a much narrower view of his subject, using Meir's testimony at an inquest into her government's handling of the Yom Kippur war of 1973 as ...

[Liev Schreiber](https://deadline.com/tag/liev-schreiber/)), but Nattiv keeps things manageable for anyone just a passing acquaintance with the facts, which is likely to be most of the audiences in Europe and the USA. Mirren’s Meir smokes a lot—even between treatments for lymphoma, the disease that killed her in 1978 at the age of 80—and in these moments of quiet reflection, even in close-up, Mirren completely disappears under the prosthetics. There is talk of imminent military action in the Middle East, uniting Egypt and Syria in a two-front attack on the State of Israel, both literally and metaphorically (“Trouble with the neighbours again”). In flashback, the drama begins with some very British espionage, with an undercover agent working in an East Finchley school (“The Postmistress”) sharing intelligence with another (“The Baker”) about the movement of dangerous radioactive materials. It’s the kind of project Mirren does seem drawn to (Golda is very similar in spirit to 2015’s Eye in the Sky, a talky moral-maze movie about the ethics of modern warfare), while Nattiv’s understated direction (lots of earth tones, and nondescript office interiors) brings to mind Tomas Alfredson’s understated adaptation of John Le Carré’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. [Guy Nattiv](https://deadline.com/tag/guy-nattiv/)’s [Golda](https://deadline.com/tag/golda/), onscreen and off.

Guy Nattiv defends choosing actor to play the former Israeli prime minister in a new biopic, amid debate about 'authentic casting'

her utter commitment to her country and to her nation,” she said. She said she had felt a connection between the roles of Meir and Elizabeth I. “In a weird way, it was a bit like playing Elizabeth I in the sense of ... They have no problems to portray roles around the world,” he said. a Jewish person, because, for me, she had the Jewish chops to play Golda,” he said, as Mirren looked on. Nattiv added that he had been surprised at the negative reactions to his choice of Mirren, explaining that in their discussions about the film, Mirren had told him “something very smart.

Berlin: Mirren is unsurprisingly terrific, but Guy Nattiv's film is frustratingly superficial.

There is a version of this film that fully tracks this paradox of power – the sad truth that the Rooms Where It Happens tend to be drab and banal and oh so far from the fields where victory might be snatched from the jaws of defeat. It’s a good role in a film always less than the sum of its parts. When we cut to the inside – to where those live cameras couldn’t take us – in walks Liev Schreiber and out comes the borscht. You could certainly make a version of this story with (what some might deem) a more ethnically appropriate lead, but that film wouldn’t be “Golda.” Indeed, the attraction here is to see an actor transform, to search for a familiar face under a mask of make-up, finding comfort in their unchanged eyes. After a framing device finds Meir testifying before the Agranat Commission – a 1974 panel that investigated the intelligence failures that left the young state unprepared for the previous year’s war – we flashback to the morning of October 6 1973, when word of an impending assault reached the Prime Minister’s desk. This idiosyncratic character beat arrives early in Guy Nattiv’s ho-hum biopic, and speaks volumes about story and subject, telling all you need to know about Meir the person and “Golda” the film.

Mirren brings the prime minister to flinty, vibrant life in a tense dramatization of the Yom Kippur War, when Israel faced an existential threat.

“Golda” roots us in the combat detail of the Yom Kippur War, and that’s part of its dynamism as a movie. The film presents Israel as a victim of its own hubris, going back to the 1967 victory that, ironically, laid the groundwork for so many of the problems that beset Israel today (the 2007 documentary “Six Days” examines this paradox with essential insight). Yet this was a wide-ranging mess, and we have to take on faith the essential trajectory of the war: that the Egyptians and the Syrians got the upper hand, then didn’t know what to do with it. And the Yom Kippur War marked the first time that the Arab world, freshly armed by the Soviets in a way that it wasn’t during the 1967 war, asserted its place in a new balance of power. “Golda,” written by the British screenwriter Nicholas Martin and directed by Guy Nattiv, who is Israeli-American (the film is an American-British co-production), does a reasonably effective job of laying out the thorny battle complications of the Yom Kippur War. And part of what makes “Golda” a tense and absorbing backroom docudrama is that you feel that primal fear. Whatever the signals, Meir knows that she can’t launch a pre-emptive strike, because the United States, the Goliath that stands behind Israel but has its own evolving relationship with the Arab world, now based on the politics of oil, will not tolerate it. [controversy](https://variety.com/2023/film/news/golda-helen-mirren-ing-an-authentic-israeli-story-1235523811/) about the casting of Mirren, since she is neither Israeli nor Jewish. [Golda](https://variety.com/t/golda/),” [Helen Mirren](https://variety.com/t/helen-mirren/), acting with deft skill and control beneath one of those startling transformative prosthetic makeup jobs, portrays [Golda Meir](https://variety.com/t/golda-meir/) during the three-week cataclysm of the Yom Kippur War, which shook Israel to its bones in the fall of 1973. (David Ben-Gurion meant it as a compliment when he called Meir “the only man in my cabinet.”) There’s been When she was in her early 20s, she and her husband went to live on a kibbutz in Palestine. Here, as well, is the woman who lit a thousand cigarettes, chain-smoking her way through the war-room anxiety and through the secret medical treatments she was undergoing at the time for lymphoma.

As a drama about the Yom Kippur war, this film is bafflingly dull. As a portrait of Golda Meir, Israel's prime minister at the time, it's even worse.

The one time that the film almost comes to life is when Meir has private talks with Henry Kissinger (Liev Schreiber), and cunningly bullies, implores and cajoles him to show some loyalty and make Nixon support her. The story is told in flashbacks from Meir’s testimony to the 1974 Agranat Commission, investigating Israel’s military failings in the run-up to the war. Mirren’s portrayal is finally upstaged by archive news footage of the real prime minister animatedly laughing and joking and upstaging Egypt’s Sadat at the peace accord – with a thousand times more energy and presence than the fictional version.Why couldn’t the film have dramatised this scene and given Mirren a chance to shine?

If Golda finds an audience, Helen Mirren's work will surely snag her an Oscar nod, and very deservedly so.

In response to a question on “authentic casting,” meaning whether it was kosher – so to speak – for Mirren, who is not Jewish, to portray Meir, Nattiv said he felt Mirren could not have been more authentic or suitable for the role. She was extraordinarily brave and with a commitment to Israel that was total.” Mirren said light-heartedly that one aspect of Meir’s personality with which she identified was that like Meir, she loves buying and using the latest kitchen equipment. If you didn’t know it was Mirren in the title role, you would never guess that it is the glamorous British actress, who has graced many billboards around Berlin as a brand ambassador for L’Oreal cosmetics, under all that makeup and prosthetics. There is a certain amount of expository dialogue that is necessary to give background on the war but which Israelis will know all about already. Mirren spends the movie with a cigarette in hand, even in scenes when she is at Hadassah Hospital, receiving treatment for lymphoma.

For Helen Mirren, playing Israel's only female prime minister, Golda Meir, was not unlike a role as a British monarch. "In a weird way, it was a bit like ...

The film focuses on Golda Meir's leadership during the Yom Kippur War between Israel and a coalition of Arab states in October 1973. That year, Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel on October 6, during the Jewish holy day of Yom Kippur, threatening to overwhelm the country. British actress Dame Helen Mirren plays Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir in "Golda", which premiered at the 73rd Berlin International Film Festival a few hours ago.

Guy Nattiv stated he felt the British actress had "Jewish acting chops".

"She never tried to put the blame on anyone else," Mirren said. Other than the fact that I adore Helen, I think she's one of the best actresses in the world." 'Golda' shows Meir during the 1973 Yom Kippur War in which Egyptian and Syrian troops attacked on the holiest day of the Jewish calendar. portraying (non-Jews) -- is this not allowed anymore?'" he said. Co-star Lior Ashkenazi said the question of authentic casting could be taken to absurd lengths, imagining a biopic about Jesus Christ. "She's got the Jewish chops to portray Golda.

Ahead of its scheduled cinematic release later this year, the film was screened last night at the Berlin Film Festival,

Tim Robey of The Telegraph is slightly more generous in his review. Read the full review

Ahead of premiere at Berlin film festival, Guy Nattiv says he was 'surprised' by uproar over decision to pick non-Jewish actress for star role.

Sign in to stop seeing this](//crm.timesofisrael.com/sign-in) Nattiv called the conflict “Israel’s Vietnam.” If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. Other than the fact that I adore Helen, I think she’s one of the best actresses in the world.” Do you rely on The Times of Israel for accurate and insightful news on Israel and the Jewish world? “I didn’t realize until we made the film what was the impact of the loss of this generation of young men on Israel because there were so few young men in Israel — it was a very young country,” she said.

Actor Helen Mirren attended the premiere of her movie "Golda" wearing her silver hair in long, flowing Old Hollywood style waves.

[a super short, choppy pixie in the early '90s](https://www.allure.com/gallery/helen-mirren-best-beauty-looks-red-carpet) and [a sleek, modern slicked-back updo](https://www.allure.com/story/helen-mirren-slicked-back-gray-updo). We've seen the star in [super long extensions](https://www.allure.com/story/helen-mirren-cannes-2022-hair-extensions) and even in a [pastel pink color.](http://allure.com/topic/pink-hair) Mirren went fully gray in 2020 and told [Allure](https://www.allure.com/story/helen-mirren-loreal-age-perfect-interview) that it was in part because she was "too lazy" to color her hair. [Old Hollywood-style waves.](https://www.allure.com/topic/old-hollywood) Mirren's ethereal [platinum](http://allure.com/topic/platinum-blonde) hair was parted gently to one side and styled in delicate waves, with half of her hair worn over one shoulder and the rest down her back. Make it a positive thing as opposed to a negative thing.” She's also said she doesn't think of it as aging but rather "growing up." The star herself has shared her attitude about this chapter of life, previously telling Mirren isn't afraid to do things her way instead of aligning with what she's supposed to do, and we love her for it.

At Berlin film festival for biopic's premiere, British actress says government's efforts to upend Israel's judicial system mark 'the rise of dictatorship'

So it’s totally (the) opposite of what we see today and it’s dreadful for me.” Nattiv called the conflict “Israel’s Vietnam.” If so, please join The Times of Israel Community. “She was at her happiest on the kibbutz actually… And it was quite soon after the (1967) Six Day War, actually, so the repercussions were still really being felt in Israel.” seeing the country young and raw.”

The 77-year-old appeared on the red carpet with long, silver Rapunzel waves, proving that you can rock long hair at any age.

Chest-skimming, super-smooth, and parted slightly to the side, Mirren’s new look was very much on trend—everyone from Dua Lipa to Priyanka Chopra has been sporting ultra-long waves recently. Dame Helen Mirren, 77, indicated they certainly could be, as she appeared on the red carpet in Berlin on Monday. Are seventies the new fifties?

Dame Helen Mirren, 77, appeared on the red carpet in Berlin on Monday, February 21 looking absolutely stunning. For the premiere of the biopic Golda, ...

Chest-skimming, super-smooth, and parted slightly to the side, Mirren’s new look was very much on trend. To enhance her glamorous red lip and bare décolletage, the actor wore her silver hair in long, cascading waves. Dame Helen Mirren, 77, appeared on the red carpet in Berlin on Monday, February 21, looking absolutely stunning.

Helen Mirren can't help but admire the former prime minister, Golda Meir.

It was a bit like playing Elizabeth the first of England, in the sense [of] her commitment to her country and to her nation. She was happiest when she was on the kibbutz looking after the chickens, but life took her on a different path.” He continued, “This is a very tough and hard look at the war and every solider that dies. Director Nattiv defended his choice and said that Mirren would be perfect for the role. Drifting away from the issue, writer Nicholas Martin said that Golda would be a different take on the prime minister’s life. The feature film was directed by Israeli director Guy Nattiv and screenplay written by Nicholas Martin.