Dame Helen Mirren speaks out on Golda casting: 'The most Jewish person would need prosthetics!'
Dame Helen Mirren thinks "anyone" would have to wear prosthetics to play Golda Meir after facing backlash over her castinf as the Israeli Prime Minister.
Dame Helen Mirren thinks "anyone" would have to wear prosthetics to play Golda Meir.
The 78-year-old actress stars as the former Israeli Prime Minister in the upcoming biopic 'Golda' and admitted that her casting could seem "difficult" because she is not Jewish herself but thinks that because her character's looks were so distinctive that anyone would have needed a lot of makeup to be able to play her.
Speaking on UK TV show 'Lorraine', she said: "It's very difficult. I love the fact that the whole concept of casting and the concept of how we look at drama has been blown out of the water, I think that's fantastic. I love the fact that we're re-examining what drama can be in terms of the people telling the stories. It's a tricky one because anyone playing Golda - the most Jewish person - would have to wear prosthetics to look like her because nobody looks like Golda. That step is always going to happen no matter who plays her. "
The 'Calendar Girls' actress recently admitted that there is a "very delicate balance" when it comes to casting someone to play the role of a character who is of a different heritage.
she "can see" why some are uncomfortable with her role.
Speaking on the BBC's 'Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg', Helen said: "I think I can see, but sometimes I can't see, because, I can't see who in this room is Jewish.
"We are all such an amazing mix and certainly I don't have an issue with Kirk Douglas playing a Viking. Kirk Douglas was Jewish. I think the whole question of assuming a certain physiognomy because you're playing a particular race, there is something offensive about that."
