8 Stars Who’ve Played Queen Elizabeth II on Screen
Helen Mirren is paying tribute to the monarch who she once played on-screen.
The actress, who won an Oscar for her turn as Queen Elizabeth II in the 2006 film The Queen, shared a few words of mourning following Her Majesty’s death on Sept. 8 at the age of 96.
“I am proud to be an Elizabethan,” Helen wrote in a Sept. 8 Instagram post. “We mourn a woman, who, with or without the crown, was the epitome of nobility.”
The Gosford Park actress further reflected on Queen Elizabeth II’s death in a statement obtained by E! News, where she shared that she is “mourning along with the rest of my country, the passing of a great Queen.”
“I’m proud to call myself of the Elizabethan age,” Helen added. “If there was a definition of nobility, Elizabeth Windsor embodied it.”
In 2007, while accepting her Best Actress Oscar for her role as Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen, which depicts the events following the death of Princess Diana, Helen painted a picture of the monarch she embodied on-screen.
“Now, you know, for 50 years and more, Elizabeth Windsor has maintained her dignity, her sense of duty and her hairstyle,” Helen quipped. “She’s had her feet planted firmly on the ground, her hat on her head, her handbag on her arm and she’s weathered many, many storms.”
Pathe/Kobal/Shutterstock
Prior to taking home the honor for her performance, Helen gave some insight on what she learned while preparing for the film, which included soaking up biographies and movies that focused on her life before taking the throne.
“Her iconic role is something she accepts and plays and has played all of her life,” Helen shared in a 2006 interview with The New York Times. “There is this massive great structure that is the monarchy, performing all the things that the British public feels the monarchy should perform.”
Helen added, “But the extraordinary thing is that within the structure there is a human being, with insecurities and dignity and strength of character.”
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App
Read More
Photo Credit:
