NEED TO KNOW
Helen Mirren talked to Kathy Bates, Niecy Nash-Betts, Parker Posey, Cristin Milioti and Keri Russell during the Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Actress RoundtableThe MobLand actress recalled being told to get a nose job or else she would “never get work”Mirren recently said there are “many, many different kinds of beauty in the world”
As a young actress, Helen Mirren says she was told she would never work if she didn’t get a nose job.
The MobLand star, 79, reflected on beauty standards in Hollywood during a recent sit-down with Kathy Bates, Niecy Nash-Betts, Parker Posey, Cristin Milioti and Keri Russell for the Hollywood Reporter’s Drama Actress Roundtable — and shared how she went on to ignore the unsolicited advice.
“I was told to have a nose job in my 20s,” Mirren told the group.
“You’re kidding me,” a surprised Russell, 49, said.
Helen Mirren, April 30, 1968.
Paul Murray/Fairfax Media via Getty
“Someone said, ‘You’ll never get work if you don’t have a nose job,’” Mirren replied, adding, “I said no. I didn’t want to be a pretty actress anyway. I elected to be not so pretty.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Helen Mirren attends the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.
Arnold Jerocki/Getty for L’Oreal Paris
Last November, Mirren opened up about her perception of the word beauty and how she believes it has more to do with what’s inside a person, during an appearance at the 2024 L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Honoree celebration in West Hollywood, Calif.
“I’ve always had this issue with the word beauty because it assumes that you’re looking to be beautiful in an exterior way,” she told PEOPLE exclusively.
“Of course, there are many, many different kinds of beauty in the world; it’s a very broad term,” Mirren continued. “Being an ambassador for a beauty products company, I always wanted to say, ‘We’re not trying to be beautiful, we’re trying to be authentically and genuinely and happily and positively ourselves, whether that’s beautiful or not.’ ”
The Oscar-winning actress says she appreciates the “world of makeup and of costume and of fashion, because it’s all transformative.” But there are other times when she feels like her best self.
“I think probably in a bath with a candle and a book,” she shared, adding, “Or having a cocktail with my husband in the evening, just one!”
“Those simple moments — being out on a beautiful hillside in Scotland or in Poland or wherever I am and at one with nature,” Mirren told PEOPLE. “I think it’s when you feel yourself at ease within the natural world and simply another part of the natural world. I think that’s when one feels the most authentic and at ease with yourself.”
Mirren stars in Paramount+’s MobLand, which is now streaming.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings