Entertainment

Dame Helen Mirren – The impact of harassment scandal will be enormous

She believes the industry will be different for young actors starting out.
She believes the industry will be different for young actors starting out. She believes the industry will be different for young actors starting out.

Dame Helen Mirren has said she believes the ripple effect from the sexual harassment scandal in Hollywood will be “enormous”.

The Queen star, who will next be seen as a cancer patient who goes on a road trip with her husband in The Leisure Seeker, said she believes it will make the industry very different to when she was starting out.

She told the Daily Mirror: “It’s a cultural shift long overdue.

“I think the ripple effect will be enormous, mainly for the young 18-year-old new actress or actor, deciding to give acting a go and facing into a world which I believe will look vastly different from when I made my first steps.”

However, she said the advice she would give to any young hopeful remains the same.

She added: “Grab every opportunity. Grab it with both hands and commit.”

Collateral Beauty European Premiere – London
Collateral Beauty European Premiere – London
Dame Helen Mirren (Ian West/PA)

The 72-year-old added that she has no problem contemplating death.

She said: “It’s not something you can hide from at my age and why not have an open discussion and see death as full of life and a celebration of liberation.

“I want to continue with passion for life and love until the last days. I see life as a gift and I enjoy it. I embrace it.”