Helen Mirren doesn't let gender stereotypes stop her from landing the roles she wants

Helen Mirren has always eased into typically male roles, and is still doing so at 70, she tells Helen Barlow

FEW celebrities are as universally loved and admired as Helen Mirren. At 70, she still possesses an unbridled charisma and excesses of talent.

When the Oscar-winner performed her Olivier award-winning role in The Audience on Broadway last year patrons paid as much as US$325 for premium seating in order to view her numerous costume and physical changes as her Queen Elizabeth II zigzagged across time for her weekly meetings with British prime ministers. She was a shoo-in for the best actress Tony and of course won.