The Prime of Helen Mirren
In her mid-50s, British cop Jane Tennison is being pushed to retire, but she's not ready. When a Bosnian immigrant is tortured and slain, Tennison grabs the case, shoving aside the man assigned to it. That's the MO of the tough detective, who last appeared in the Emmy-winning Prime Suspect series in 1997 and whose long-awaited return is April 18 on PBS. Of course, there is no Tennison without the sublime Helen Mirren.
I forgot how much Tennison likes bossing folks around. TV's women don't often do that.
It is different when it's a woman doing it; the dynamic is different. But you know, people just gotta get used to it.
She's certainly a strong character.
People say, "Ooh, you always play these strong characters." I play flawed and vulnerable characters who may have an inner or outer strength, but the vulnerability and flaws make them interesting.
The new series takes viewers into the invisible world of immigrant workers.
I've stayed at many beautiful hotels where you walk through the door that says service and into a world of peeling paint and no windows and dark little corridors.
How was Prime Suspect 6 received in England?
It was a huge success; it just got nominated for two BAFTAs--they're the British Oscars.
But you called the Oscars "the creme de la creme of bull- - - -!"
Yes, I did, and it's true. It's wonderful!
You're over 50, and you bared your breasts in your latest movie, Calendar Girls. How come Diane Keaton got more press for her over-50 nude scene?
They're used to Europeans taking their clothes off. It doesn't seem quite so shocking as an American taking her clothes off.
And then there's Janet Jackson's revelation . . .
I think it was kind of tasteless. But I'm not puritanical. I don't mind seeing Janet Jackson's breast. I just wish it was real, and not fake.
Editor's note: There's a knock on Mirren's door; her "handler" tells her it's time to go.
What's it like having a handler?
Actually it's very useful, because you would get absolutely confused without it. It's when you have more than one, I don't like it--when their assistant is talking to your assistant, and it goes through five people, and you say, "Just look me in the eye and tell me directly."
That's very Jane Tennison.
Yeah, it is. -Marc Silver
This story appears in the April 19, 2004 print edition of U.S. News & World Report.
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