The Stage

‘Still more to do’ for status of women in industry, says Mirren

Published Tuesday 19 September 2006 at 14:10 by Liz Thomas

Helen Mirren has spoken of her battle with sexism in the industry and warned that more needs to be done to address the problem.

The star, who made her name as Jane Tennison in the Prime Suspect franchise and next month appears in the final ever show, said that things had improved since the start of her career but that performers needed to keep the momentum going.

“There was a time when there was an absolute inability to recognise that I had a brain and, while things are getting better, there is still more to do to better the image of women,” she said.

Mirren, who last month won an Emmy for Channel 4’s Elizabeth I and is tipped for an Oscar for her role as the current monarch in Stephen Frears’ The Queen, added that she hoped that as women got stronger in real life, the translation in drama would follow. The leading actress also stressed there was more to be done to address racial discrimination in television and film. She explained: “Different ethnic groups have had to bang on the door of drama to get visibility and still do.”

Mirren started her career in theatre and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company before moving into film, appearing in Michael Powell’s Age of Consent, but it was the first Prime Suspect in 1991 that boosted her profile. The star has all but ruled out an eighth production, teasing that her character could be killed off at the end of the latest thriller.