Helen Mirren.Photo: Arturo Holmes/Getty
Helen Mirren’s upcoming movieThe Dukehas received positive reviews since premiering in North America at the Telluride Film Festival in 2020.
But the actress doesn’t like to give that too much weight.
“When I was younger, I usedto read reviews, but I found it was very disruptive — both the good ones and the bad ones,” Mirren, 76, told PEOPLE at a special screening ofThe Dukein New York City on Wednesday.
“The good ones gave you an unrealistic sense of how good you were and the bad ones just destroyed you, so I don’t read reviews,” she adds.
But theOscarwinner concedes that reviews do give actors “a sense of how a film’s been received,” which she deems “incredibly important.”
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The Duketells the true story of a 60-year-old taxi driver who stole Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1960s London.
Mirren tells PEOPLE she found herself drawn to the movie because of its “really well-written piece.”
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“Also the director,Roger Michell, who has a wonderful body of work,” Mirren offers as another reason why she signed on forThe Duke.
“I cleared the decks for this one because I knew this was going to be a great experience,” she says.
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After shooting ended,Michell died in September 2021, at age 65. Mirren reflected on working with him while introducingThe Dukeat the Tribeca Screening Room Wednesday.
“Basically, it’s a comedy. But in the middle of that comedy, there’s a heart of tragedy, and I think what Roger did so brilliantly — I hope you’ll agree with me when you watch the film — is tonally, there is no uncomfortable shift between the tragedy and the comedy of the film,” Mirren shared. “It is one seamless thing, the way life is. Life is a sort of seamless mix between tragedy and comedy.”
“And we all experience that,” she added.
Roger Michell.ALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP via Getty
Mirren credited the British director with makingThe Duke’s “ridiculous, crazy story” accessible to audiences.
“Hedied very suddenly of a heart attackvery surprisingly and it was a great loss to the British film industry in particular, but to the film industry at large, as well,” Mirren added.
The Dukeopens in select cities April 22.
source: people.com
