At 79, Helen Mirren continues to shine as one of Hollywood’s most celebrated and respected actresses.
Known for her gravitas, versatility, and decades-long career, the Oscar-winning star recently made headlines—not for a new role or award, but for her candid take on aging actors in the industry.
In a new interview, Mirren took a moment to eviscerate what she sees as a common and unfortunate trend: older male actors becoming bitter and “grumpy” despite their continued success.
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Mirren, who currently stars in the Yellowstone prequel 1923 alongside Harrison Ford and the Paramount+ series MobLand with Pierce Brosnan, opened up about her experiences working with the two Hollywood heavyweights—and used them as a contrast to the crankiness she says she’s seen among other veteran performers.
“I think with both of them, as I say, it’s the way they behave on set, professionally,” Mirren told Fox News.
“Harrison would sit around and chat with the cowboys. And it was cold, it wasn’t comfortable. He didn’t go off to his trailer and sit in a nice, warm, comfortable trailer. He would sit in the cold with everybody else. You know, chatting to the guys, for example.”
harrison ford & helen mirren chat with entertainment weekly about they were tricked into working on ‘1923’ (2025)
📸: entertainmentweekly | ig
🔗: https://t.co/dZQ9vRbhhJ pic.twitter.com/1YcNVhgySO— harrison ford archive (@hfordlovebot) April 10, 2025
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Her admiration didn’t stop there. “And Pierce — Pierce just is so great,” she continued.
“And you know what the other thing is great about them both? They both love what they do.”
That passion, Mirren suggested, is becoming rare among her male peers.
“I’ve noticed, in my profession, a lot of older actors kind of get grumpy. Actresses don’t, but actors do.”
Mirren didn’t mince words when explaining her frustration with these seasoned sourpusses.
“They get grumpy, and I think, what…do you have to be grumpy about? You’re working, you’ve been paid a lot of money, everyone’s looking after you,” she said bluntly.
“Well, what do you got to be grumpy about? Harrison and Pierce are so not grumpy. They’re just — they love what they do. They’re positive about it. It’s what they do, and they love it.”
While Mirren declined to name names, her decades in the business likely mean she’s witnessed more than a few behind-the-scenes temperaments.
Still, her remarks weren’t just a critique—they were also a celebration of actors like Ford and Brosnan who remain gracious, enthusiastic, and humble even after decades of stardom.
“You don’t develop chemistry. It’s there or it isn’t, you know,” Mirren said when asked about the dynamic between her and her 1923 and MobLand co-stars.
“It just totally depends on what sort of person they are, what sort of person you are.”
“And they are two really, really great guys,” she gushed.
“I think it also comes from respect, you know, professional respect and respect for the character of the other or maybe love for the character of the other person. And both Harrison and Pierce share a sort of commitment to their craft — professionalism, generosity on set. There’s no sort of, ‘Oh, I’m a big movie star’ thing going on at all. They’re both great guys.”
Mirren has a history with both men. She previously starred with Ford in The Mosquito Coast back in 1986.
At the time, Ford was already an international superstar, while Mirren was still best known as a stage actress in the U.K.
“The relationship was obviously very, very different then because Harrison was already an enormous movie star, and I was a theater actress out of London and nobody had heard of me,” Mirren explained.
“Now our relationship is very different because I’ve sort of caught up with him. Well, I’ll never catch up with him completely, but I’m a little bit closer than I was.”
Despite her modesty, Mirren’s own career has soared in the decades since.
She’s been nominated for four Academy Awards and won Best Actress in 2006 for portraying Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen—a performance that remains iconic.
The Queen (2006)
Set in the crisis following the death of Diana, Helen Mirren is wonderful as the Queen caught between what to do
Morgan’s writing and Frears’s direction capture the different extreme reactions to the event, making a compelling piece of drama pic.twitter.com/ywyJYWZIaP
— Doinkadect Klomberbatch (@Doinkadect) May 9, 2023
As for Brosnan, Mirren and the former James Bond shared a unique bit of history as well.
They both appeared in the 1980 British gangster film The Long Good Friday, which happened to be Brosnan’s film debut.
However, Mirren revealed that they never actually met on that set.
“He played a very small role, nonspeaking role — important little role, but nonspeaking — and I was never in any scenes that he was in,” she said.
Thankfully, the two have now had the opportunity to work together more directly in MobLand, a gritty new series showcasing their combined star power and charisma.
The first trailer for Gut Ritche’s MobLand, starring Tom Hardy, Pierce Brosnan, and Helen Mirren. Premiering March 30th on Paramount+.pic.twitter.com/dN1TcShGiz
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) March 4, 2025
In an industry often criticized for ego and entitlement, it’s refreshing to hear from someone who values humility, respect, and joy in the work.
Mirren’s comments aren’t just a takedown of sour attitudes—they’re a reminder that gratitude and grace go a long way, even in the glitzy world of Hollywood.
With Mirren, Ford, and Brosnan still taking on bold, demanding roles well into their seventies and eighties, they’re not just aging gracefully—they’re redefining what longevity in Hollywood can look like.
And if Mirren’s perspective is any indication, being kind and passionate might just be the real secret to staying power.
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