Helen Mirren Reminds Us That Christmas Is A Time For Giving Back

Dame Helen Mirren takes a break on set of her latest movie to talk to Clare Goldwin about inspiring causes, what makes her feel alive and her favourite Christmas rituals.

- Clare Goldwin

Aglobal icon, Dame Helen, 71, recently became the first Patron of Women for Women International, a charity that helps women rebuild their lives after conflict and war. She’s also about to star alongside Will Smith, Kate Winslet and Keira Knightley in Collateral Beauty, playing a character who helps a grieving father (played by Smith) find meaning in life again. Helen is married to American director Taylor Hackford. She splits her time between London, the US and Italy.

When I heard about the work of Women for Women International I was blown away. Really, it felt like I’d been waiting a long time to come across an organisation like this. It’s a charity that makes a genuine change, not just transforming individuals’ lives but whole communities. My job is to raise the profile of the amazing work they do.

I am a firm believer that the future of the human race lies with women. That’s obviously so in terms of bearing children, but it’s also the truth that whenever women are educated a country does well, and whenever women are not educated you have a very different culture. I’ve always thought that if aid is given to any country it should be given to the women. That way a country can move forward.

Every role you play has an effect on your life and thought processes. I played a colonel in Eye in the Sky, a film about the moral dilemma of carrying out a drone strike on a community where suicide bombers are hiding. It brought home how women are affected by war. They’re not given any means to defend themselves but they are inevitably thrown into the front line. When you see news shots of women running down sniper alley just to get a loaf of bread or water to give to their children, these are the women that I admire so much.