‘I Prefer To Say We Grow Up, Rather Than We Grow Old’: Dame Helen Mirren On Changing Our Approach To Ageing

Dame Helen Mirren is on a mission to change the way we think about aging. 'I'm getting rather bored of it, she says of the archaic dialogue still raging around women - shock, horror - getting older. And her fatigue is being felt en masse. Take the fact that it's 2023 and vet conversation around November's National Service of Remembrance was dominated by how 'old' the Princess of Wales looked. How are we still here?

A new survey by L'Oréal Paris (Mirren has been a global ambassador for the beauty giant since 2014) found that 70% of women are told they 'look good for their age' from as young as 25. Mirren is at the helm of the brand's ambitious campaign to change the narrative, to promote the idea that women should be complimented for looking good full stop.

'I really hope this will transform the industry in general,' says Mirren, who becomes visibly riled when she recalls being in her early forties and seeing a moisturiser advertised by a 15-year-old. 'I knew that by the time that model was 22, she'd be deemed too old to advertise those products.'

Today, almost four decades later (Mirren turned 78 in July), change is afoot and the fashion world is catching on too. Dame Maggie Smith, 88, hit billboards this year as the star of Loewe's spring 2024 pre-collection campaign and, last month, Charlotte Rampling, 77, fronted Massimo Dutti’s new women’s line. ‘I hope it’s not just tokenism,’ muses Mirren, ‘that it’s not just this moment in time that we move on from, but rather something that becomes entrenched.’ She is quick to note that industry moves like this don’t come out of nowhere. ‘I suspect it’s no small coincidence that the Boomer generation is now older and has money to spend. We’re seeing mature women at the top of their game flourishing financially and economically – big brands recognise this.’

Does the phrase ‘ageing gracefully’ bother her? ‘I don’t mind it actually,’ she says, ‘as long as it’s not seen as a limiting factor, that it doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to dye your hair or wear stilettos.’ The joy Mirren derives from both beauty and fashion is palpable. Today she’s a 5ft 4in vision in a floral Queens of Archive dress (the Katherine style), red boots (stilettos, of course) and a fuchsia headband. As for make-up, she’s always experimenting. ‘I’m an actress, I love to transform myself,’ she says. ‘I could sit in front of my mirror for hours trying out new looks.’ She’s surprised that more men don’t wear make-up. ‘I often look at a man and think, you could do with a bit of foundation or mascara.’

Mirren has made a name for herself in the hair department, too. The Oscar-winner sent this year’s Cannes Film Festival photographers into a frenzy with a cerulean updo – ‘I was inspired by my lovely blue dress' – and went big with a high-volume look at Paris Fashion Week for the L’Oréal Paris show. There’s a devil-may-care magic to Mirren that’s impossible to ignore. Rapper 50 Cent admitted to a long-standing crush on her, saying, ‘She’s sexy. It’s the confidence.’

So what’s her secret? ‘It’s all about owning your space and looking outward,’ says Mirren. ‘That’s one thing that worries me about this TikTok generation, it’s all “me, me, me”,’ she mimics posing for a selfie, pouting comically. ‘But turn your gaze outward, concentrate on making other people feel good and you’ll appear and feel attractive yourself.’

Disarmingly down-to-earth, it’s easy to forget just how much of a megastar Mirren is. She’s a Dame of the British Empire after all – an accolade she credits as her biggest achievement to date. ‘I was made a dame before I did The Queen,’ she tells me. ‘To be recognised by my country for my work in film, TV and theatre to that extent meant a lot – I only wish my parents could have been alive to see it.’ Mirren’s father immigrated to England from Russia when he was just two. ‘I’m very proud of that,’ she says. Then there’s her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. ‘I’m stupidly proud of that too,’ she beams. ‘I go past it occasionally – it’s always covered in filth! I might try to polish it up the next time I’m there.’ Calling all Hollywood Boulevard strollers, show the dame’s star a bit of TLC, won’t you?

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