Helen Mirren says she is warming to majestic role

By Anna Tomforde Sep 14, 2006, 15:30 GMT

British actress Helen Mirren poses for a photo after being awarded with the Volpi Cup as best actress for her performance in the film "The Queen" by Stephen Frears at 63rd International Exhibition of Cinema Art, better known as Venice Film Festival, Saturday 09 September 2006. EPA/CLAUDIO ONORATI

London - Award-winning British actress Helen Mirren, who is starring as Queen Elizabeth II in the film 'The Queen,' has said she is warming to her majestic role.

Dame Helen, who won the Best Actress prize for her portrayal of the reigning British monarch at the Venice Film Festival last week, said she had overcome initial fears about taking on the role.

The film, released in Britain on Friday, tackles what is believed to have been the queen's most difficult challenge to her rule in recent years - the public criticism of the royal family's handling of the death of Princess Diana nine years ago.

At the time, popular anger at the royal family 'hiding away' at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, as thousands were clamouring for a public sign of mourning from the monarch, fuelled a near- revolutionary atmosphere on the streets of London.

'I was terrified at the thought of doing a film about the monarchy and the dangerous, turbulent waters one might stray into,' Dame Helen said about her role in the film, directed by Stephen Frears.

But once she had decided that an 'honest effort was essential,' her nerves had calmed and she began to enjoy her transformation to British monarch.

Speaking after the official UK premiere in London, Mirren said that playing the role had given her a new-found respect for the queen.

'This sounds very sycophantic and grovelling, but even if I was a farmer's wife I think the queen would have nobility about her. It's nothing to do with class, it's about a nobility of character and spirit.'

As if to emphasize how much she had grown into her role, 61-year- old Mirren appeared at the premiere in a silver-grey suit designed by the queen's favourite couturier Hardy Amies.

'I wore it because it was one of the things that I tried on and really liked. I thought it was a wonderful outfit.'

Transforming herself into the queen was a huge emotional and physical effort, Dame Helen told the BBC.

She had watched hours of footage and underwent voice coaching to capture the monarch's distinctive mannerisms and clipped tones.

'I watched tapes, read books, I looked at portraits, but the most valuable for me was looking at the queen as a young girl,' she revealed.

'There was a tiny 20 seconds of film of the queen at about 12 years old, getting out of a car and putting her hand out to shake hands with someone. It absolutely encapsulates who the real person is when you extricate her from the institution.'

First reviews praised Mirren's 'towering regal performance.'

'Helen Mirren is a sensation as the frozen monarch: a prim, mannered matron who wears her regrets like tea stains,' wrote the London Times.

However, the real strength of the film lay in how skilfully it avoided parody, 'despite moments of pure whimsy,' it added.

While the response of the British public to the film is keenly awaited, speculation is rife in London that the 80-year-old monarch has already had a glimpse.

'Certainly, the queen does watch films, without necessarily going to the cinema. There are other ways and means for her to watch a film,' a Palace spokeswoman said.