Dame Helen Mirren has criticised the “insulting” younger people who patronise her because of her age.
The British actor, who turned 80 in July, said she is left ”really annoyed” by people who call her “sweet” because she is older.
Prime Suspect actor Mirren said she typically gets this response when she’s having a walk with her husband, the Ray director Taylor Hackford, who is also 80.
“The hardest part is the condescension – it really annoys me,” the Thursday Murder Club star told The Times in a new interview.
“If my husband and I are holding hands, someone might say, ‘Oh, look. How sweet.’ It’s like, excuse my language, ‘F*** off.’
She added: “There’s something very condescending about some people’s attitudes and I think they think they are being kind and generous. But they’re not. They’re being insulting.”
Mirren said she is not “afraid of getting older” as she’s realised her mindset has evolved over the passing years.
“An amazing thing happens. When you’re 18 the thought of being 35 is horrific. And you get to 35 and it’s actually a lot better than being 18. And when you’re 35 the thought of being 55.
“Then you hit 55 and you realise there are great things about being 55. Your life has moved on, you lose certain stuff but you gain other stuff.’ That’s certainly the case for me.”
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Mirren, who won an Oscar for 2006 film The Queen, has been married to Hackford (An Officer and a Gentlemen) since 1997.
The couple don’t have any kids, with Mirren previously telling The Sunday Times: “I have never had a moment of regret about not having children.”
Hackford had a son named Rio from previous marriage to Georgia Lowres. Rio died of uveal melanoma, a rare form of cancer, in April 2022, aged 51.
Mirren can currently be seen in The Thursday Murder Club, Netflix’s adaptation of Richard Osman’s best-selling book, alongside Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie.
In a two-star review, The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey called the murder mystery film “flimsy”, writing: “Each clue is presented plainly, legibly, and without even a hint of enigma, at one point simply written out on a Post-it and then shown directly to the audience.”
Mirren said she had a great time making the film, which often leaves her wary about its ultimate quality as very often the movie gets lost in the enjoyment of making it.”
However, she added: “I hope that’s not the case here.”
The Thursday Murder Club will be on Netflix on 28 August after a run in select cinemas.
