Hellen Mirren Calls Reviews, Good Or Bad, “Disruptive”

The “Woman in Gold” actress has won many accolades in her decades of acting career, becoming the only person to achieve the Triple Crown of Acting in both the United Kingdom and the United States. But when it comes to reading reviews, the actress would rather avoid the drama that comes with it.

It doesn’t matter whether they make her feel good about her skills or not, she doesn’t need the justification or criticism.

Hellen Mirren – Opens Up About Why She Stopped Reading Reviews

Hellen Mirren’s latest movie “The Duke” received mostly positive reviews since premiering in North America at the Telluride Film Festival in 2020.

But according to the actress, she’s blocked out all the noise that comes with positive and negative reviews.

“When I was younger, I used to read reviews, but I found it was very disruptive — both the good ones and the bad ones,” Mirren, 76, told PEOPLE at a special screening of “The Duke” in New York City on Wednesday.

Explaining why she rejects any and all forms of criticism, she said: “The good ones gave you an unrealistic sense of how good you were and the bad ones just destroyed you, so I don’t read reviews.”

However, the multiple award winning actress understands the importance of criticism in determining the value of a project. She said it gives “a sense of how a film’s been received,” which she deems “incredibly important.”

“The Duke” is a true life story of a 60-year-old taxi driver who stole Francisco Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in 1960s London.

Mirren said that the reason she was drawn to the script was because it was a well-written story. As another reason she agreed to join the project, she named the film’s director Roger Michell, “who has a wonderful body of work”.

“I cleared the decks for this one because I knew this was going to be a great experience,” she said.

Hellen Mirren – Honors Dead Director Roger Michell

After shooting for “The Duke” ended, Michell passed away in September 2021 at the age of 65. On Wednesday, Mirren reflected on working with him while introducing “The Duke” at the Tribeca Screening Room.

“He created a feeling of family on set, which I think is very much reflected in this film,” the London native said. “It is a delightful film from a very delightful script. It’s beautifully written but realized by Roger with the lightest of touches.”

“Basically, it’s a comedy. But in the middle of that comedy, there’s a heart of tragedy, and I think what Roger did so brilliantly — I hope you’ll agree with me when you watch the film — is tonally, there is no uncomfortable shift between the tragedy and the comedy of the film,” Mirren, who has starred in multiple best-selling movies, said. “It is one seamless thing, the way life is. Life is a sort of seamless mix between tragedy and comedy. And we all experience that.”

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