Renowned for her immersive performance and undeniable charisma, Helen Mirren is an exceptional talent and one of the finest actors of our generation. The English actress has a long and varied career, where she has played different roles in different genres of movies, earning her recognition through awards winning the Academy Award, Emmy, and Tony, and mass amounts of praise from critics and love from fans all around the world, cementing her as one of the most iconic English actresses of all time.
And throughout her career, Helen Mirren has continuously showcased her talent on-screen and has been praised for her professionalism which extends beyond working on the sets of her film. However, Lee Daniels, the director of Precious was present on The Daily Show and he shares how the Shazam! Fury of the Gods actress acted like a jerk which has made fans question her professionalism as an actress.
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Lee Daniels Shares Helen Mirren Quit on Her Role Three Days Before Production
Recently Lee Daniels was present on The Daily Show, where the director was questioned about his unusual casting choices for his 2009 film, Precious. The director shared that initially Helen Mirren was meant to play the role of Mrs. Weiss, but she turned down to work in the film, and it was in the most rude way possible. Lee Daniels said, “I can’t do it; I have a real job, a paying job.”
Even though the actress was a friend of the director, he felt insulted as her way to turn down work in the film was quite jerky, and Daniels explained how she could have played the role of Mrs. Weiss “in her sleep.” Since the veteran actress did not show up, fans saw Mariah Carrey as Mirren’s replacement in the movie, where she played a great role despite being the replacement in the film.
Helen Mirren Turned Down To Play The Role Of Queen Elizabeth II in a Netflix Original
This is not the first time the veteran actress has turned down an opportunity to play the perfect role for her, one such instance is when she was offered to play the role of Queen Elizabeth II in the popular Netflix Original series from 2016, The Crown. Each season focuses on different periods of the late ruler of England, and the role has been portrayed by different actresses.
In the first two seasons of the Netflix Original, the role was portrayed by Claire Foy, who passed her role to Olivia Colman, who played the role for the third and fourth seasons. And she was succeeded by Imelda Staunton for the fifth and sixth seasons of the show. However, it was initially rumored that Helen Mirren would have played the role of the late Queen in the show, but when it was asked to her in 2019, she replied, “I don’t think so,” and stated,
“I think it’s more interesting when you see other portraits and it builds into a more interesting picture than just someone coming back.”
Despite not being interested to play the role of the Queen in the show, she praised the actresses for their flawless roles in the Netflix drama.
“I thought Claire was wonderful, [and] I know Olivia will be fantastic.”
Mirren’s addition to the show would have been great for the show, as it would have added to the popularity of the show, and her performance would have bewitched the viewers of the show.
Precious can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video.
Source: The Daily Show
