HELEN'S BOLDEST ROLE YET ITS TIME TO SHAKE THINGS UP

THE ACTRESS DRASTICALLY TRANSFORMS FOR HER NEW FILM

Dame Helen Mirren has played her fair share of real people over the course of her six-decade career. But her latest historical figure, Israel's first female head of government Golda Meir, sees the actress delivering her most startling and challenging - transformation yet!

Golda, which co-stars Liev Schreiber, recounts the politician's leadership during the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Helen, 78, admits she didn't "really know a lot" about Golda when she signed on to the film, so enjoyed delving into her research.

"All I knew is when she came to power [in 1969 it was an incredibly important moment for me as a woman to realise that women could be prime ministers," Helen tells New Idea in an exclusive interview.

Here, she sheds more light on inhabiting such an "incredible person".

What attracted you to this role?