Famous Hollywood actress Helen Mirren is playing the iconic role of Golda Meir in a biopic premiering tonight in Jerusalem. Israel Daily News was invited to the premiere, but we chose to go to an early viewing instead. There after the viewing, we got to sit in the press conference with Helen Mirren at the center. British royalty Helen Mirren sat with one of Israel’s top actors Lior Ashkenazi, director Guy Nattiv, and writer Nicholas Martin. Israel Daily News sat in the front row and took videos and pictures. Mirren was a huge sport and answered every question graciously, even off-color questions from reporters that asked her to give her political thoughts on Israel’s judicial reforms. She politely said she is not well informed nor Israeli, and does not want to answer.
Dame Helen Mirren is an English actor who has achieved too many awards to count. She is the only performer to have received both the American and the British Triple Crowns of Acting. Mirren received an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen. She’s also got a Tony Award, the Laurence Olivier Award, and three British Academy Television Awards for her performance as DCI Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect. She’s also got four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Children’s and Family Emmy Award. Mirren spoke about how she enjoys playing the role of powerful women in history, which is evident still in her glory of 77 years old playing these fantastic roles. Mirren says through her acting work she’s come to respect Golda Meir for her leadership and honesty.
Golda Meir was the first and only female Prime Minister of Israel. The film dives into her challenge executing power and direction during Israel’s deadly Yom Kippur War.
Before the remarks from the cast began, Naama Lanski from My Heritage family genealogy site came on stage to deliver a reveal to Mirren. The reveal being that in fact, Mirren has some distant roots to Golda Meir and even more so to Israel’s first president Chaim Weitzman. We also learned that Mirren comes from a long line of Russian royalty having had ancestors in very honorable roles.
After this, the program continued and the press started rolling out the questions. It lasted for about 25 minutes.
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