Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1444689
Mirren is a true original who has always done things her own way and remained true to herself. She gave an interview with The Guardian in 2015, shortly after she signed on to be a spokesperson for L'Oréal Paris. At 70, she was the oldest recipient of a major cosmetics contract — and as part of the deal, she insisted that her photos not be retouched. "It was about time that someone of my age, not necessarily me, did it," she told The Guardian. "Certainly my whole life, one had these images of perfect, incredibly youthful girls shoved at you as what you should aspire to. And we're not even talking about 25-year- olds, incidentally, we are talking about girls of 15. Who looks 15? It's not fair." Even so, Mirren has little reason to feel insecure. In a 2011 issue of Esquire, then- 65-year-old Mirren handily beat 25-year- old Megan Fox in a reader poll for Sexiest Woman Alive. But she has little tolerance for those who judge her by her looks alone. In 2016, a clip went viral of a 1975 interview in which Mirren calls out an interviewer for his sexist questions, while he remains oblivious to the inappropriateness of his queries. Perhaps one of the things that gives her an enduring appeal is her empathy and desire to use her fame to ease suffering in the world. She is deeply involved in numerous charitable causes in pursuit of that goal. Mirren has worked with Oxfam throughout the years to draw attention to humanitarian crises and the destructive effect of weapons on people who live in poor countries. In 1998, she traveled to South Africa and, in 2004, she visited northern Uganda, where she met with The Tempest, 2010 Trumbo, 2015 Catherine the Great, 2019 TOUCHS TO NE PIC TURES/PHOTOFES T B LEEKER S TREE T MEDIA /PHOTOFES T HBO/PHOTOFES T 77 / SAG-AFTR A SPECIAL ISSUE 2022 / sagaftra.org