Mirren, Mirren on the Wall

In the short-term future Mirren will probably be attending lots of awards ceremonies. Does she fantasize about winning? “Fantasize is not quite the right word,” she says dryly. “I’ve not won different awards, many many times—so luckily I’ve practiced that. Whenever you are nominated for anything, you enter into this marvelous, fantabulous bubble called the bubble of nomination. The minute the envelope is opened and your name isn’t called out, the bubble bursts. And no one calls you up the next day to say, ‘So sorry you didn’t win,’ or ‘You looked gorgeous’—nothing.

“If you win, you get about another 24 hours in that lovely bubble,” she adds. “And then, pop—you are slightly wet all over from the bubble and realize that you have to get on with real life.”

West Coast editor Nancy Griffin profiled Robert De Niro in the January-February 2007 issue.

Mirren wins AARP The Magazine's Best Actress Over 50 Award