Helen Mirren rules out Queen portrayal

12 January 2018

Dame Helen Mirren doesn't want to be remembered just for portraying Queen Elizabeth.

Queen Elizabeth

The 72-year-old actress has ruled out every starring as the 91-year-old monarch again after playing her in 2006 drama movie 'The Queen', because she is concerned people will only think of her role as the royal when she passes away.

She said: "I wanted to kind of get away from that. I like to move forward, not back. It's wonderful that I [portrayed Queen Elizabeth twice], it was wonderful that it was a success, but I didn't want a headline when I'm knocked over by a bus to read 'The Queen Knocked Over by Bus.' "

While Helen doesn't want to step into the monarch's footsteps again, she has been enjoying watching Claire Foy's portrayal of a young queen in Netflix TV series 'The Crown'.

Speaking on 'The Ellen DeGeneres Show', she added: "I think the show is incredibly accurate. I think Claire Foy was brilliant. I sent her an email congratulating her. It was fantastic."

This comes after Helen once admitted she broke down in tears when she saw the costumes she had to wear to play the queen.

She said: "The clothes are very important. I remember when I had my first costume fitting for 'The Queen', and they laid all of these sensible shoes out, kilts, barbour jackets, head scarves, and these sort of dresses ... I cried.

"I thought, I can't play anyone who'd wear these clothes. I just can't do it.

"The queen is completely uninterested in clothes. She's not at all vain ... It's like a policeman wearing a uniform. She's wearing her uniform.

"She doesn't care what she looks like in it as long as it's the right thing for the right moment. Forget what they look like.

"It's what they feel like. And they're made out of unbelievably beautiful fabrics and then lined with incredibly expensive silk, so when you put them on, they feel incredible."

'The Queen' was directed by Stephen Frears and also starred James Cromwell as Prince Philip, while Alex Jennings portrayed Prince Charles and Sylvia Syms starred as the Queen Mother.