In a recent interview in The Observer, Helen Mirren discusses her Russian roots, being an instinctive feminist and the the need to be self-aware.  As she said, “You can’t control how other people see you or think of you. But you have to be comfortable with that.”

As part of her stated goal to “be prepared to age on screen,” she wore no make-up in “The Door”, something she said is very, very rare in film.  “Even when you are playing a character who wears no make-up, you wear make-up otherwise your eyes tend to disappear and look like two piss-holes in the snow. But on this occasion I really did wear no make-up. It was great because I could just prance in five minutes before I was due on. And also, once you let go of that, it’s gone. You just look the way you look.”