Helen Mirren has revealed the lengths she went to in order to secure her role in Fast and Furious 9.
Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, the legendary actress said, “I didn’t ask, I begged! I think I was at some function, and he was there, and I got introduced to him. And I was shameless: ‘Oh God, I’d just love to be in one of your movies! Please let me be in it.’ And then Vin, with that beautiful, deep voice of his, said: ‘I’ll see what I can do.’ And he did it for me.”
Discussing the part Vin Diesel secured for her, Mirren remarked, “He found this great little role for me, which was perfect. I’d just never done anything like that before — one of those big, big movies. And, in my vanity, I just loved driving and really wanted to do my own driving in a fast car.”
2021’s F9‘s ensemble cast brought back series veterans such as Vin Diesel and Tyrese Gibson alongside an all-star cast which included Helen Mirren in something of a surprising role for the acclaimed actor. Mirren, whose career has spanned six decades, took over the silver screen following her breakthrough role in 1980’s The Long Good Friday.
In the years since her breakout film performance, Mirren has become a household name thanks to a slew of award-winning performances on both the small and silver screen. Despite having a filmography that includes other explosive action titles such as 2010’s adaptation of RED by Warren Ellis and Cully Hamner, Mirren’s appearance in the Fast and Furious franchise was a drastic tonal shift from the heartfelt dramatic roles she is best known for. The film saw Mirren take on the part of Queenie Magdalene Ellmanson-Shaw, a high profile criminal and mother to Jason Statham‘s recurring character Deckard Shaw.
When asked about the appeal of working on films such as RED and F9, Mirren said “Well, there’s no real difference to the work. The periphery is different, you know, the number of trailers or the sets or the amount of time you’ve got to shoot a scene. But, fundamentally, it’s exactly the same thing. But I love the special effects world. And the stunt world. I really believe stuntpeople should be nominated for Oscars. They’ve become such an intrinsic part of filmmaking now.”
Fans can look forward to seeing Mirren reprise her role from F9 in the upcoming Fast and Furious 10, currently slated to release in two parts sometime in 2023.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
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