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The
naked truth about Helen Mirren
Helen
Mirren already has bared more than her soul for such art-house attractions as
``Cal,'' ``The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover'' and (brrr!) ``Caligula.'' In ``Calendar
Girls,'' which opens Friday, the acclaimed British actress sheds her blouse for
laughs, and a heartwarming lesson on the meaning of true friendship. And it's all in the
name of wholesome family fun, compliments of the good folks at Disney (well,
Touchstone), who have loosely adapted the tabloid story of a few years back
about members of a Yorkshire women's club who turned heads when they stripped
for tasteful ``glamour'' shots. Mirren plays Chris Harper, the freethinking
instigator of the novel charity drive. ``She's ebullient, effervescent, a
bundle of energy who just can't stop,'' the actress says. Chris also speaks her
mind and is a closet exhibitionist. Kind of like the
58-year-old Mirren, who over the years has been outspoken about Oscar-night
politicking (she's had two nominations, for ``The Madness of King George'' and
``Gosford Park'') and about shedding all for the camera: The self-described
``naturalist'' told the Sunday Telegraph, ``I do it because it's part of my job
and because I know it titillates and gets bums on seats.'' Today, however, Mirren
-- who's married to director Taylor Hackford and resides much of the year in
Los Angeles -- isn't talking about taking it off with 11 other women of a
certain age. She's busy waving off a reporter who has the temerity to call
``Calendar Girls'' another Brit feel-good movie, in the tradition of ``Billy
Elliot'' and ``The Full Monty.'' ``It's not a
heartwarming film for the sake of being heartwarming,'' she corrects. ``It's
heartwarming because it happens to be true. . . . When I first read about these
women, I thought, `How sweet! What great women!' Then I forgot all about it.'' If someone had come to
her with a made-up story on the same subject, she says, she would have run
screaming in the opposite direction. ``If it were just a figment of some
screenwriter's imagination, it would be sort of ghastly, wouldn't it?'' she
asks. ``And what's the point of that? But the fact is, it's an absolutely true
story.'' Well, not exactly. The
characters' names have been changed. The central conflict between Chris and
best friend Annie (Julie Walters) was made up. Ditto a subplot about a
neglected son's drug use. The film's funniest moment, wherein Chris wins a
baking contest with a store-bought sponge cake? Also cooked up by the
screenwriters. Eighty-five percent
true might be closer to the mark, Mirren allows. ``Obviously dramatic licenses
have been made. But the essence of the story is absolutely true.'' Mirren -- even better
known for her work on stage (she's currently doing ``Mourning Becomes Electra''
at the National Theatre in London) and telly (she's Jane Tennison in the BBC's
``Prime Suspect'' detective series) -- has never lacked for plaudits. Indeed,
whenever one considers the greatest living British actresses, Mirren often is
lumped with two other dames of the British Empire, Dame Maggie (Smith) and Dame
Judy (Dench). Both are better known
than Mirren because they've done the odd popcorn movie. Is Mirren, who is drawn
to what she calls ``extreme art movies,'' now looking for her first studio hit,
thereby improving her bankability? She balks at the suggestion. ``No. I think you're
making judgments that are false,'' she says. ``The fact is, if you're a
professional actress, you want to make money, you want to keep working, and you
don't really mind where those jobs come from. One is an artist to a certain
extent, but you're also a craftsperson . . . and you need to pay your bills.'' And in the end, she
reminds us, one never knows what's going to ``disappear into the ether and
what's going to be a massive success.'' ``Calendar Girls'' was a big hit in
England when it opened in September and now looks well positioned to siphon off
filmgoers who, faced with the choice of ``Cold Mountain'' and ``Monster'' at
Christmas, might opt for lighter fare. Who knows? Like
Yorkshire's very own pinups, it could surprise everyone. Disney already is
thinking Oscar nominations. ``Well, I don't really
know what to say about that,'' Mirren says. ``Obviously one would be terribly
proud and pleased and all that, but it's very premature to even think about.
You're doomed to disappointment if you ever think in that direction.'' Calendar
Girls Opens Friday Rated: PG-13 (for
slight profanity, peekaboo nudity) Cast: Helen Mirren,
Julie Walters, John Alderton Director: Nigel Cole Writers: Juliette
Towhidi, Tim Firth Running time: 1 hour,
48 minutes Charles
Mims |
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