306 Quotes by Helen Mirren

Flesh sells. People don’t want to see pictures of churches. They want to see naked bodies.

Directors always used to be like the police to me – the enemy, the people to tell me what to do when I didn’t want to do it. But I’ve lived with one for a while now and I guess I can put myself more in their position. You shouldn’t be too sympathetic to them.

I am quite spiritual. I believed in the fairies when I was a child. I still do sort of believe in the fairies. And the leprechauns. But I don’t believe in God.

I couldn’t handle the rules the Queen has to live by at all, and very few of us could. It’s a golden cage, really. You’re never alone in that role – you are always surrounded by security.

When you’re 16, 30 seems ancient. When you’re 30, 45 seems ancient. When you’re 45, 60 seems ancient. When you’re 60, nothing seems ancient.

There’s nothing sexy about doing a nude scene. It’s rather uncomfortable. I like dressing up rather than dressing down.

The timing of comedy is so difficult. You’ve got to leave room for a laugh, you don’t want to kill the laugh, but on film, you can’t just suddenly stop for a laugh and then carry on. So, I think it’s a real art form, comedy on film.

Like journalists. The police have an extremely sick sense of humor, very guarded, very private, very male, which they need to survive on an everyday level. I don’t think anyone has ever managed to tap that on the screen – it would actually be too shocking.

I don’t think it’s good to try and change anyone. The trick and the mystery – of relationships and life in general – is to learn to live with the bits you don’t like.