10 Questions for Helen Mirren

By Belinda Luscombe

After playing royals ancient and modern, a hard-nosed cop and all manner of fantasy females, the Oscar winner has written a memoir, In the Frame. Helen Mirren will now take your questions

What was the most difficult point in your career? --Matthias Kruzik, Vienna, Austria I think probably my mid-30s, which was the one time really when it should have been the best because I was experienced and ready, and the kind of work that I wanted to do just didn't come my way. But you know, you just carry on--I did anyway--regardless. I would just do whatever work came my way.

Have you considered taking a role in an American TV show? --D. Pitts, East Windsor, N.J. The terrible thing about network TV is that if you're successful, you're not doing anything else for six years. And although success is wonderful, I don't want that kind of success. You know, variety is the spice of my life. I have to keep changing everything. And I wouldn't enjoy being a TV personality.

Do you think it's important for celebrities to contribute their two cents on political, ethical and economic problems? --Amanda Cusick, Piedmont, Calif. I've used my voice to publicize certain issues. I've been involved with Oxfam on the proliferation of the illegal sale of small arms throughout the world, which is causing such, such devastation, and the war in northern Uganda. The only way you can sometimes garner attention is by sending someone like me as a front person.

You were recently in Reno, Nev., filming your new movie, Love Ranch. What's your view on brothels? --Audrey Majore, New York City I think legal prostitution is the way to go, given the awful, horrendous traffic in women and the danger of girls being out on the street, so vulnerable to pimps and johns. In a legal brothel, they're licensed, they're protected, and the johns are protected because they know the girls have to be medically checked every week.

Have you ever had a role in which your views are the opposite of the character you portray? --Peg Wimberly, Victorville, calif. In The Mosquito Coast I played a role only called Mother. She was always in the kitchen and supporting her husband, never arguing. The way I got my head around it was that I had recently played Morgana in Excalibur, who was the male fantasy of the evil, sexually voracious witch woman. So I thought, Cool, I can play the two sides of the coin of male fantasy about women.

Have you had any royal-family feedback after your fascinating performance as the Queen? --Jo Wynter, Cooktown, Australia No. I was invited to dinner by the Queen after I'd done it, and I don't think she would have done that if she'd hated it. I couldn't go, unfortunately.

Do you have any affinity with your father's Russian heritage? --Claire Mythen, Dublin, Ireland I was there not long ago. It's so vast. I know America is vast, but there is a Wal-Mart everywhere in America, whereas in Russia it's vast, and it really changes. When I go to Russia, I realize I look Russian; people come up to me and speak to me in Russian.

What is your favorite vegetable? --Thomas Stout, Fair Oaks, calif. I do love potatoes.

You have a tattoo on your hand. What is it, and why did you get it? --Charles Adkins, Aventura, Fla. The short answer is, I got drunk. I think I write about it in the book. But yes, I got drunk on an Indian reservation in Minnesota. It's a South American Indian sign.

If you could go anywhere in the world tomorrow, where would you go and why? --R.D. McClenagan, Greenville, S.C. I'd find a little green corner of England with a river running through it and a tree to sit under, and I'd just sit there for the afternoon with a book and a pillow.

Online only--extra questions:

While there are many actresses and actors who remain very attractive for their age, you have managed to stay not only attractive but very sexually alluring without the quantifier of "for her age" being needed. Do you believe this is due to your attitude towards life and sexuality or some other factors? --Samuel Hawk, Olympia, Wash. I don't think most women do lose their so-called sex appeal. It just shifts into a different arena, you know. It's more to do with life, and appreciation of life, and I think it's [that] their perception has shifted in some way. But there's no question, you know; full on sex appeal is for the young--it is. That's nature. And so it should be. But older men and older women, when they say sex appeal I don't think they really mean sex. I think they're talking about something else. I think they're talking about some indefinable thing that has to do with appreciation of life, wisdom, and all kinds of things. There should be a special word for it. I don't think sex is quite the right word actually.

[If you were an American voter] would you support Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton? --Mustafa Yildirim, Adiyaman, Turkey I find American politics quite hard to comprehend exactly how they work. Most Americans do, especially with this whole Florida and redo and all the rest of it--so complicated. I just about got my head around it. And also it's quite hard for Europeans to really understand the power of the President. The president has so much power, much more power than our prime minister does, for example. I would love to vote for all of them, quite honestly, or not vote for any of them. I'm quite cynical in general about politicians. Politicians always come in on a wave of hope and then of course it all goes terribly wrong every single time. Obviously I would love to see a female President in America, but I would also love to see a charismatic black President. And then of course, you know, there are many other people; I though John Edwards was a wonderful candidate. So it's difficult, really. Would I vote for Hillary? I don't know whether I would or not right now. I don't know. All you want of your politicians is a kind of honesty, and I know that's the one thing they can't deliver, actually. I've met Hillary Clinton, you know, and she was incredibly impressive and charming. I think she probably would make a great president, or a great vice-president, or a great adviser to the president.

Which director(s) did you learn the most from and why? --Stephaan Harris in Washington, DC The truth is you learn a different thing from all of them. They all have something to offer and every film by its nature--different actors, the different photographers, different writing, the different atmosphere of the film--you learn something from all of them. I think the best bit of advice I was ever given about film acting came from an American actor and producer and director called Bob Balaban. He said, You don't know where the arrow of your performance is going to land. You have no idea. And I had found that out to be true. You know when you intensely, intensely try and emotionally express the pain of loss [or] whatever you're trying to do, and what's on the screen is something completely different. Not what you intended at all. It may be interesting, often, but something completely different. Where that comes from--'I didn't do that, I was doing that and that came out--can drive you crazy as an actor. So he said just let the arrow land where it will, [act] as instinctively and as truthfully as possible, but then let it go wherever it goes and don't torture yourself when you go home at night. And that was great advice and I've absolutely followed that. It kind of liberated me.

Do you really prefer tea over coffee? --Nimna De Silva, Colombo, Sri Lanka PG Tips [tea]. All Brits drink PG Tips.