Acclaimed British actress Dame Helen Mirren, 78, known for her stellar performances on stage and screen, has revealed an unexpected secret behind her acting prowess - her garden.
"I think gardening probably helps me be a better actor," Mirren told DuJour magazine. "It kind of cleans your brain. You can't have an ego with a garden. The [hecking] plant just won't grow where you want it to grow."
Although Mirren splits her time between homes in London and Lake Tahoe in the US, she finds solace in getting hands-on with nature at both places. She describes this activity as meditative and believes that it strips away any traces of ego or insecurity.
Dame Helen Mirren credits her gardening hobby for making her a better actress
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour
"It's a huge body of knowledge which I don't have and I'm always trying to add to," she explained. "The beauty of nature is so fantastic. It's wonderful to watch something grow that you've taken a cutting of."
The award-winning actress also shared that she enjoys gardening alongside her husband Taylor Hackford, whom she's been married to for 25 years.
They divide their tasks based on their interests - while Hackford takes care of the trees, Mirren focuses on the bushes and flowers.
"My husband is a tree person, and I'm bushes and flowers. It's a classic division of labor. It's amazing to see trees we've planted."
The Oscar-winning actress finds gardening meditative and believes it helps clear the mind
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour
Beyond discussing gardens, Mirren also touched upon some controversy surrounding one of her latest roles – portraying former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir despite not being Jewish herself.
She admitted they were entering "dangerous territory" with make-up but hoped they got it right.
"We went through various manifestations; going further, taking pieces away," she said, adding, "With that sort of make-up, you're wandering into dangerous territory. Obviously, it's there and you can't say it's not there."
Mirren, who plays former Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, in a recently released film, has faced criticism for being a non-Jew playing a Jewish person
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour
However, Mirren is far from being the only actor attacked for her Jewish role in films. Bradley Cooper is facing criticism for performing in “Jewface” after the release of the trailer for his biopic of Leonard Bernstein, which revealed the facial prosthetics he employed for the role.
A US-based international Jewish organization, which fights antisemitism and bigotry, issued a statement on Monday stating that the use of prosthetics was not inherently antisemitic.
Image credits: Nick Thompson / Dujour