She's cool, she's candid, and she's an icon of our time - we absolutely adore Helen Mirren. The actress is totally unapologetic about her views on ageing, and how the entertainment industry and the world in general treats women.
Helen is especially vocal over her total lack of interest in being young again, her major issues with the word 'beauty,' and why she no longer celebrates birthdays.
Her refreshing openness is definitely helping to shape the conversation around the standards women are held to when it comes to their advancing years, and how their bodies look, in a time when the progress made appears to be sadly eroding.
Amid the release of her latest film, an adaptation of Richard Osman's bestselling hit novel, The Thursday Murder Club, Helen has been taking part in a lot of interviews.
During a recent interview with Heart Radio, she wasted no time in continuing to let the world know her thoughts on important topics like misogyny, while also promoting the movie.
As part of the conversation, the actress admitted to once being "a bit of an a***hole' in her younger years. This isn't because fame had gone to her head; it's because she had no choice.
Helen acted this way through the frustration of constantly being undermined as a young actress - which is entirely unsurprising.
"I think when I was young, I was always underestimated, and it’s very hard as a young woman," the star told host Pandora Christie. "It’s very hard to break through the attitude that you are nothing but what you look like, basically," she added.
Although she did concur that sometimes she was confronted by this attitude from other women, she reveals that it was largely a male-held opinion.
"So yes, I always felt I was being constantly underestimated when I was a young girl. And because of that, I probably became a bit of an a***hole," she concluded with her usual candour.
The interview took place alongside fellow The Thursday Murder Club actress and also fellow icon, Celia Imrie. Celia was quick to jump in to let her co-star know she thought it unlikely there was any real a***hole behaviour involved.
"No, you were just standing up for yourself," she reminded Helen, adding, "and I understand. It is because you’re too beautiful I’m afraid and that is what you were judged on. But you are a brilliant actress so yes, it is tricky."
