Dame Helen Mirren has revealed that she does not see gender as a “binary” and instead believes that “we’re all somewhere in the middle in a wonderful mix of male and female.”
The actress, 74, suggested that her views stem from her career in acting where the lines were blurred between what is stereotypically considered male or female.
“I came to the conclusion an awfully long time ago that there is black and there is white, and we’re all somewhere in the middle in a wonderful mix of male and female,” she told the Radio Times.
“There is no such thing as binary sexuality, when you’re male or female. I don’t believe in that at all.”
She added that many “heartthrob” male actors possess feminine qualities while “strong female actors” often have a “male side to them.”
“I think I was very lucky to be in my world, the world of acting and drama, because I think an awful lot of actors have male and female in them,” she explained.
“A lot of great actors, great, masculine actors, are actually very feminine. Great heartthrobs have a very present feminine side to them.
“A lot of very strong female actors have a very strong male side to them.”
Mirren is set to star as Catherine The Great in a new Sky period drama and said that the Russian monarch was “terribly maligned” due to her gender.
Catherine The Great is set to debut on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV on October 3.
Read the full interview in the new issue of Radio Times, out now. Additional reporting by Press Association.
