Veteran Hollywood star Helen Mirren has never entertained the idea of defying the natural ageing process. Instead, she embraces the concept of leading a long and fulfilling life, cherishing each day as it unfolds.
Mirren’s philosophy on ageing is to celebrate it rather than resist it. In an interview with Britain’s Hello! Magazine, she expressed, “I say celebrate it, don’t fight it. You die young, or you get old, and I don’t want to die young. I’m too interested in life. It’s wonderful, so celebrate that and enjoy it.”
The renowned ‘Red’ actress firmly asserted that she has no inclination to turn back the hands of time and is content to revel in her current age.
“I’ve always said I’m not growing old, I’m growing up. I feel the age I am in the fullest possible sense, with all the curiosity, knowledge, and fear I have about life,” she said.
Mirren emphasized her love for her current age, expressing, “Why would I want to be someone else? I don’t. Actor John Gilbert said, ‘It’s all in the spine,’ and it’s very true. I want you to do something right now, sit up and the energy immediately changes. It’s amazing.”
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Encouraging a sense of empowerment, she added, “That feeling of, ‘This is my space, I’m taking it and filling it up’ makes an enormous difference. So as you travel through life, keep taking your space and don’t let anyone else take it. There’s no one else in the world like you.”
Mirren values the positive aspects that come with ageing and advocates for changing the language surrounding it. She emphasized, “We absolutely need to change the language around ageing. Part of life is getting older, so the vocabulary is incredibly important. Without a doubt, as you get older, your confidence grows.”
Reflecting on the advantages of growing older, she shared her mother’s wisdom: “One of the elements of getting older that makes you happy is you let go of those terrible, ridiculous insecurities you have when you’re young. My mum always said to me, ‘Darling, never worry about getting older. When you’re 20, the thought of being 40 is terrifying, but when you get to 40, you won’t want to be 20 again because you’ve gained more wonderful advantages.’”
It should be noted that Helen Mirren has won international recognition for her work on stage, screen and television. For her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 of “The Queen,” she received an Academy Award, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award, and BAFTA Award for Best Actress. She was also named Best Actress by virtually every critic’s organization from Los Angeles to London. In 2014 she was honored with the BAFTA Fellowship for her outstanding career in film.
