Just as we’d written off 2016 as a total disaster, in swoops Dame Helen Mirren to save us with her new Instagram account.
While the actress / hero / all-round legend might be late to the party (she joined the platform just two weeks ago as @helenmirren) she’s already garnered over 17,000 followers – and for good reason. From her inaugural selfie (taken on a New Orleans streetcar and captioned ‘Having a Tennessee Williams moment’) to a triumphantly festive shot of the 71-year-old riding a tinsel-laden golf cart (while managing to look entirely regal), Mirren’s account is unfiltered Instagram gold.
To date, she is following just three other users. Who, you ask, has been blessed with such an honour by Instagram’s new Queen? The unlikely triumvirate of Emma Watson, Ryan Reynolds and her Collateral Beauty co-star, Will Smith.
For a case in point, just look at some of her best posts so far. Here’s hoping that we’re half as cool as Dame Helen when we grow up…
1. When she summed up our ambivalence to the festive season
Christmas? Great. Christmas shopping? Not so much. Mirren’s expression (and barely-in-shot coffee cup) encapsulates our annual festive conflict. As she puts it in her caption, ‘Hey ho.’
2. When she accidentally accessorised with a plant
Strong selfie game.
3. When she pulled off a beige cap with effortless aplomb
The hat in question belongs to Peter Lindbergh, the man behind this year’s Pirelli calendar (in which Helen stars). Never has the humble baseball cap looked quite so dazzling.
4. When she showed us the view from the other side of the camera
With the ever so nonchalant caption, ‘Doing the thing we do.’
5. When she looked devastatingly glamorous in the back of a taxi
We are not worthy…
6. When she was hanging out with Will Smith, but didn’t mention that she was hanging out with Will Smith
When you’re as A-list as Dame Helen, you don’t need to humblebrag about your famous friends. You just refer to them casually as your ‘mates’ – no Will Smith namecheck necessary.
7. When she personified the spirit of Christmas in this jazzy golf cart
The most festive way to travel from trailer to set.
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