Helen Mirren is reflecting on getting older — specifically on all the things she’s grateful to have seen and experienced in her lifetime.
In a recent interview on The Standard’s Brave New World Podcast with Evgeny Lebedev, the Golda star discussed how it feels to be 79.
“You’ve moved through your life, and you are at the other end of your life,” she told the host. “You’re at the place you never imagined you’d ever reach when you’re 20, or 30, or even 40. But the reality is you do reach it — if you’re lucky. And that’s the number one thing you realize … is your good fortune at getting to be [alive.] I’m 79, and you lose people along the way.”
The Queen star continued, “I always say, ‘It’s so sad that Kurt Cobain died when he did.’ Because he never got to see GPS. It’s the most wonderful thing, my little blue spot walking down the street. I just find it completely magical and unbelievable.”
The musician and Nirvana frontman was found dead in his home in 1994, only five months after the band’s famous live taping of their ‘MTV Unplugged’ album. He was 27 at the time of his death.
And while she’s a fan of certain tech, the Oscar-winning actress also voiced her appreciation for having experienced the world before the tech revolution.
“I’m not full of youth, but I am life full. I much prefer that phrase … And I feel so grateful that I lived in a world without technology for quite some time. I knew a world without technology in a deep and full sense … Human connection was a very different thing back then,” she continued.
Helen Mirren at the N.Y.C. screening of ‘White Bird’ on Sept. 26 2024.
Michael Loccisano/WireImage
Mirren also discussed the importance of living life to the fullest at every age in the 39-minute interview.
“I’m 79. I never thought I’d be 79,” she said. “And then you say, ‘Okay, well, this is it. This is what 79 is,’ you know? And it’s kind of okay. It’s not brilliant. But it wasn’t that brilliant to be 25 either.”
“So it’s not a question of seeking youth at all.” she continued. “It’s a question of living the life you have as fully and positively and enjoyably and confusingly and everything that it was when you were younger. It’s just called life.”
Mirren also refuted the host’s observation that she has a “young spirit.”
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“No, it’s not. My spirit is the age that I am,” she said firmly. “Maybe I’m positive, or maybe I enjoy certain things, or maybe I’m fairly healthy — luckily so far. I’m sure all that will go pear-shaped quite soon. But, you know, this is the reality of being me. It’s not being young.”
Mirren, who was born in 1945, continues to have a thriving career on both the screen and stage.
She won the Oscar for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in 2007’s The Queen, and has also won three Emmys, five SAG Awards, plus a Tony Award.